BLOODLINES
by Jadeite333
Summary: FBI Kate #2: Heartbroken by her sudden break-up with Gibbs Kate takes a friend's offer to visit her in a small town in Pennsylvania. In the meantime the investigation of the murder of a Petty Officer leads the MCRT to the very same place./AU/case-fic/crime-romance-humor/KIBBS as main pairing/M rated/
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: NCIS and all its characters are property of CBS and D. P. Bellisario**

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><p>AN:This is the second installment of a series. The first one is **HEARTKILL** and it's necessary to read that one first.

I got the idea for this story before I even wrote HeartKill. It first struck me while I was making an NCIS video. It was originally inspired by Sammie28's 'One Man's Poison' but in a way it fits with this story too. If U wanna check it out got to YT and search NCIS Timber.

I'm sorry about potential mistakes. I'm trying my best so there wouldn't be any but something would always slip through.

**Faves, follows, and especially reviews are very appreciated, critique too as long as it's constructive.**

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><p><strong>BLOODLINES<strong>

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><p><em>Saturday, August 21st 2004<em>

A battered red and white '67 Ford Mustang pulled to a stop on top of the hill, near a lone Oak tree growing by the edge of the slope. The driver, a sunny blonde in her late thirties got out and motioned for her passenger, a few years younger brunette to follow. The two leaned against the hood and took a moment to admire the view.

"Wow!" gasped Kate Todd, gazing at the town downhill bathed in the orange glow of the sunset.

"I knew you'd like it," the blonde replied with a smile.

Her name was Susan, and her friendship with Kate went back to the times when they were both Secret Service Agents. She quit the job a couple of years before Kate, after she nearly lost her life protecting the President, and now lived with her husband in a small town in Pennsylvania.

The two of them kept in touch through the years and when Susan suggested she take a break from work to come visit her in the countryside, Kate took the offer without a second thought. She had been missing Susan and was curious to finally meet her husband, and hoped that getting away from DC for a while would help her get over yet another heartbreak, the worse she sustained so far.

She still remembered that sunny day in late May when her boyfriend, NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, quite unexpectedly informed her in rather harsh terms that their relationship was over.

Kate had been dumped at least a couple of times before, but never had it hurt so bad, perhaps because of the reason he gave for breaking up with her, or perhaps because what she had with Gibbs was more than just a fling, at least for her.

When she arrived at Susan's earlier in the day, the former agent sensed right away there was something different about her friend. Intent on finding out what was going on, she took Kate to the oak tree on the hill, where far from her nosy neighbors starving for some fresh gossip she could squeeze the truth out of her.

"I may not be a profiler like you, but I can tell when someone's got a problem," she said. "Is it about the job? That Fornell guy giving you a hard time?"

"No, I'm doing fine at the FBI," Kate replied.

"Then it's gotta be about a guy." Susan was well aware of Kate's weakness for men, especially a certain type of men. "Who is he? How did you meet him?"

"He's a Fed too. We met over a dead body of a Navy Commander."

"How romantic!"

Kate giggled at Susan's comment and then explained how she had met Gibbs during an investigation of a suspicious death aboard Air Force One and fell for him on the spot.

"It was just like..." She snapped her fingers to illustrate her point.

Susan inquired further and Kate told her about how she had refused Gibbs's job offer and went to work for the FBI instead, how they met again several months later on the V-day killer case, how they eventually began seeing each other, and how all of a sudden Gibbs broke up with her.

"I know it hurts," Susan rubbed Kate's back comfortingly, "but give it time. Eventually you'll get over him."

"You don't simply get over one Leroy Jethro Gibbs," Kate argued.

Susan chuckled and then asked, "Is he really that special?"

"One of a kind."

Susan just threw her hands in the air in surrender. Apparently Kate's infatuation with this Gibbs guy was stronger than she had imagined.

"You know what Sus," Kate said gazing at the darkening sky, "you're probably right. I have to move on and just forget about him."

"That's my girl!" Susan smiled and gave her an approving pat on the shoulder.

"I mean, it's not like he was Mister Perfect! The list of his flaws could fill up an encyclopedia!"

Why do I have a feeling you loved each and every one of them, Susan thought but remained silent.

"He once told me that I deserved better than him, and you know what, he was damn right!" Kate fumed. "I do deserve better!"

"Let's drink to that!" Susan went to retrieve a bottle of Jack from the trunk.

She uncorked the bottle, took a long swig and passed it over to Kate who did the same and declared:

"Never again will I let myself get upset because of a blue-eyed bastard of an ex-marine"

**§§§**

**Chapter 1**

_Thursday, August 26th 2004_

It was almost eight in the morning. The elevator binged and Special Agents Tony DiNozzo and Tim McGee strode into the NCIS squad room, and entering the bullpen found Gibbs already at his post. As soon as the silver-haired agent noticed them, he straightened up in his chair and quickly stashed something in his desk drawer.

Tony and McGee exchanged a knowing glance that didn't go unnoticed.

"What?!" Gibbs snapped.

"You slept at the office again boss?" Tony asked a bit nervously, sliding behind his desk.

"That bothering you DiNozzo?"

"We're just a bit worried for you boss," McGee said taking his own seat.

"I'm fine."

The hell he was, both Tony and McGee thought. Since he was shot Gibbs hadn't been the same and his unexpected break-up with Kate a few months later only made things worse. As much as Gibbs would deny it, they knew it had hurt him to the bone and were all concerned about him, especially Ducky, who had been the one to push Gibbs into starting a relationship with Kate in the first place and now blamed himself for indirectly causing his friend yet another heartache.

All of a sudden the phone on Gibbs's desk rang.

"Gibbs, NCIS," he picked up. "Uh-huh. Got it."

"Dead Marine boss?" Tony asked, grabbing his gear.

"Sailor," Gibbs corrected, getting up from his desk. "They fished him out of Lake Whitehurst in Norfolk."

"I'll call Ducky," McGee offered and started dialing.

"Tony," Gibbs threw him the car keys, "gas the truck."

Half an hour later they arrived in Norfolk. Tony and McGee got on to photos and sketches while Gibbs went to talk to the local LEOs who had found the body.

"There was an accident on Azalea Garden Road yesterday," Officer Ward of the Norfolk PD told him. "A car went off the road and into the lake. We've been searching for the wreck and found him instead." He pointed with his head at the cadaver of a young man in a Navy uniform.

"Did you identify him?" Gibbs asked.

"No sir. When we saw he was Navy we called NCIS right away. We thought you'd rather we didn't touch the body more than necessary."

"Thank you, Officer. We'll take it from here," Gibbs said, glad that for once he came across someone competent.

Ward nodded in agreement and left to join his colleagues while Gibbs came over to the cadaver Ducky and Palmer had already started examining.

"This poor fellow has been in the water for quite a while," Ducky noted. "Based on the deterioration of the body, I'd say about four months."

"Cause of death?" Gibbs inquired.

"He could've drowned but the injuries at the back of his head would suggest blunt force trauma. I can't tell you which one it was until after the autopsy."

Gibbs nodded, and putting his gloves on, he searched the body for some identification. He didn't find an ID and the dog tags were missing too.

**§§§**

"Do we know who our floater is yet?" Gibbs asked, entering the bullpen, a fresh cup of coffee in hand.

"Yes we do," Tony announced proudly, putting up an ID on the plasma. "Petty Officer William Dunn, age 33, joined the US Navy right after graduation, last deployed on USS Kennedy."

"Dunn was reported missing last March," McGee added, putting up more files on the screen. "He was scheduled to serve a second tour on the Kennedy, but never showed up."

"Who worked the case back then?"

"Agent Pacci's team," McGee informed him and Gibbs felt his gut tighten at the sound of the dead agent's name.

"They suspected he ran off with his girlfriend, Julie Harper, who also disappeared around the same time," Tony continued. "They never found any of them, and eventually Dunn was proclaimed a deserter and dishonorably discharged."

"Now we know it didn't quite go that way," Gibbs commented gruffly and headed for the elevator. "Keep digging!"

A couple of minutes later he entered autopsy intent on talking to Ducky.

"Hello Jethro," the old ME greeted him. "Your visit is a bit premature as our examination of the body is not yet complete."

"Can you at least tell me a cause of death?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, that I can tell you," Ducky assured him with a small smile. "This young man most certainly drowned."

"There was water in his lungs, which means he was still alive when he got into the lake," Palmer, Ducky's new assistant cut in. "Isn't it ironic that a sailor would die by drowning? It's like in that joke about... Nevermind." Palmer shut up instantly as two pair of blue eyes gave him a hard stare.

"Mr Palmer here has a point," Ducky reluctantly agreed. "Petty Officer Dunn must have been a swimmer, but shortly before his death he suffered a severe head trauma, which most certainly rendered him unconscious and by that unable to swim his way out."

"Any ideas on what he'd been hit with?"

"Some sort of blunt object. Abby is examining the traces we found in his head wound as we speak," Palmer informed him.

"What has me perplexed though, my dear Jethro," Ducky continued, "is this peculiar abrasion on the Petty Officer's face." The ME pointed to a shallow scratch that ran across the remains of Dunn's cheek, and up to his nose. "I cannot fathom what caused it, and how he got it in the first place."

"Call me when you figure it out," Gibbs told him and left to check in with Abby.

"What have you got Abs?" he yelled over the blasting music as he entered the lab.

"Oh, hi Gibbs!" the goth chirped, turning around. "Didn't hear you coming."

No wonder, Gibbs thought, grabbing the remote and turning the stereo down a bit.

"I examined the shards Ducky found in Dunn's wound. It's glass," Abby told him.

"Any special kind of glass?"

"It's brown colored and thick, but other than that it's just... glass."

"Anything else?" Gibbs asked.

"We have no prints and no DNA. I'm still checking out his clothes, but the only interesting thing that I found so far is this piece of paper that was inside his shirt pocket. " Abby showed him a bagged and tagged paper slip. "I'm not sure what it is yet since the water dissolved the ink, but I'll find out."

"I know," Gibbs said and drew a Caf-Pow! cup from behind his back.

"A bribe!" Abby snatched the drink into her hands and took a large gulp. "Those always work!"

Gibbs just smiled and headed back to the squad room.

"Boss, I think we can rule out the Kennedy crew members as potential suspects," Tony said as soon as Gibbs entered the bullpen. "I've been through the Navy service records. Most of them had been scheduled for a second tour on the Kennedy, a few had been assigned to other ships. The point is, they were all at sea at the time of Dunn's murder."

"Dunn's closest living relative is his sister, Carol Dunn, 31, lives in their hometown in Pennsylvania," McGee took over. "She stated she had come to Norfolk to see her brother before his next deployment but he was a no show. When she was informed he didn't report on the ship either, she told the NCIS agents Dunn could've escaped with Julie Harper."

"Why would the two of them have to escape?" Gibbs inquired.

"According to the sister, Julie's father strongly disapproved of their relationship," McGee told him. "Perhaps he found out about their escape plan and tried to stop them."

"He would've killed his own daughter?" Tony expressed his doubts.

"We don't know if Julie's dead."

"Where is she then?"

"We have to get to the bottom of it," Gibbs said thoughtfully. "Let's start by talking to the sister."

"Road trip boss?" Tony asked much less excitedly than one would expect.

"We're leaving in an hour," Gibbs announced and headed for the elevator, Tony and McGee trailing behind him.

"Agent Gibbs," Palmer's voice stopped them.

"What is it?" Gibbs asked the ME assistant staring at him expectedly.

"I... I just... Doctor Mallard wa... wanted me to tell you," stuttered Palmer, looking seriously intimidated.

"Spit it out autopsy gremlin," Tony rushed him.

"We made a miscalculation in estimating Petty Officer Dunn's time of death," Palmer finally said.

"He was dead for more than four months?" Gibbs asked him.

"Five, even up to six."

"That places his death around the time of his disappearance," Tony noted.

"The Kennedy was in port back then," McGee pointed out, throwing Tony a glance. "Dunn's killer could be someone from the ship."

"DiNozzo," Gibbs addressed the Italian.

"Yes boss?"

"Take over that angle. Get in touch with the Kennedy, find out if Dunn was in conflict with anyone on the ship."

"I'm right on it boss!" Tony agreed happily and ran back to the bullpen.

"He didn't seem too upset about missing the road trip," McGee told Gibbs as they stepped into the elevator. "I guess he really hates the boondocks"

"Ah, it isn't just about that." Gibbs smirked. "He knows that the first person he's going to be talking to is NCIS Special Agent Paula Cassidy."

"Let me guess boss, she's hot and Tony had been drooling over her at some point?"

"Yes and yes. We met her at Gitmo before you joined us. She's currently the Agent Afloat on USS Kennedy."

"Don't you think Tony could... you know... be his usual self?"

"Oh, I know he will."

"And don't you mind that?" McGee had heard the infamous rule 12 quoted in relation to Tony more than once.

"I'm trusting Paula's better judgement on this one."

**§§§**

"Boss, I think we got lost," said McGee, glancing at Gibbs nervously.

"No, we didn't. I know exactly where we're going," Gibbs replied, trying hard to keep his cool.

They were in the middle of nowhere, the GPS signal died out a while ago, and Gibbs had an uncanny feeling he had already driven by that ash tree by the road. Twice.

"There should be a map in the glove compartment," he told McGee, finally admitting defeat.

McGee retrieved the map and studied it attentively, hoping Gibbs wouldn't notice his distress. This wasn't quite the same as reading a digital map, he couldn't zoom in and out, couldn't click on anything to get additional information, and most importantly, there was no blinking dot pointing out their current location.

"I think we're almost there," McGee finally said without much conviction. "Just drive straight forward boss."

It's not like I have much of a choice, Gibbs thought grimly, as he sped past the fields stretching on both sides of the road.

They drove for another few miles when suddenly McGee exclaimed, "Boss, look!" He pointed out to a structure that appeared in the distance. "There's a gas station. We can go ask for some directions."

Gibbs just nodded and slowed down until he eventually pulled to a stop next to an old fuel pump. There was another car parked nearby and Gibbs spotted a couple of people inside the small convenience store in the back.

"Go find out where the hell are we," he ordered McGee, who grabbed the map and ran to the store.

As he filled up the gas tank, Gibbs watched the younger agent talk to the store clerk showing him something on the map. Then a woman he had noticed earlier joined in and after a short conversation she came out of the store with McGee and they walked towards him.

The woman was young, about thirty, and rather attractive. She was tall and slender, with sparkling green eyes and shoulder length, strawberry blonde hair.

"Hi," she said sweetly, eyeing Gibbs from head to toe. "Your friend here told me you guys got lost. Luckily I happen to be going the same direction, so you can just follow my car. By the way, I'm Carol."

"Carol? Carol Dunn?" McGee asked as he suddenly realized why she seemed so familiar. He had seen her face only a few hours before on her driving license photo, but didn't recognize her right away with the different haircut and make-up.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Do we know each other?"

"Not really," Gibbs said flashing her his ID. "I'm Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, this is Special Agent Timothy McGee, NCIS. We were on our way to talk to you Miss Dunn."

"About what?" she asked worriedly, glancing in between the two agents.

"We found Petty Officer Dunn," McGee informed her.

"William? Where is he?"

"Miss Dunn," Gibbs began softly, "your brother is dead. His body was retrieved from Lake Whitehurst this morning."

"Are you sure it's him?"

"We have DNA confirmation."

"Oh God!" Carol burst in tears and threw herself onto Gibbs's chest.

The two agents exchanged bemused looks over Carol's shoulder.

"I'm... I'm sorry for your loss," Gibbs stuttered patting her awkwardly on the back, still a bit thrown off by her behavior.

"Miss Dunn," he started to say when the woman finally let go of him, but she cut him off.

"Please, call me Carol," she said

Gibbs just nodded and continued:

"Carol, could we go talk some place private? We would like to ask you a few questions about your brother."

"Ah, yes of course. We can go to my place. I'll lead the way, just follow my car."

Gibbs and McGee nodded in agreement and they all got into their respective vehicles and drove off.

**§§§**

"Would you like something to drink?" Carol offered, leading Gibbs and McGee into a spacious, well-lit kitchen.

Both agents eagerly accepted and sat at the table, while Carol busied herself preparing the drinks.

"When was the last time you saw your brother?" Gibbs began, observing the woman.

"Over a year ago," she replied and continued, "We were supposed to meet again when the Kennedy sailed back to port, but we never did. When I arrived to Norfolk his house was empty, but I thought he had to deploy earlier. Then I found out he didn't report back on the ship."

"In your last statement you suggested William could've run off with Julie Harper," McGee pointed out. "Could you elaborate on that?"

"Will and Julie were very close, but Julie's father, Frank, always had a problem with that," Carol explained. "The Harpers own a local logging company and Julie is their only child. Frank wanted her to marry one of the guys who work for him, so the company could've been passed over to the next generation."

"We'll need the Harpers' exact address," Gibbs said making some notes.

"Sure." Carol leaned over the table, snatched the notepad and pen from Gibbs's hands and scribbled down the requested information. Then she got up, took two steaming cups from the counter and placed one in front of each agent.

"How did you know what our favorite coffee is?" McGee wondered, sipping his foamy triple-pop half-caf vanilla latte.

"I work at a bar. I can tell your favorite drink with just a glance," Carol laughed. "You struck me as quiet, creative and a bit geeky. Definitely vanilla-latte type. As for you," she turned back to Gibbs, "any man with that haircut would take his coffee black and strong. By any chance, have you ever served Agent Gibbs?"

"US Marines," Gibbs replied.

"What specialty?" she purred, locking eyes with him.

"Sniper," he replied, looking back.

Watching their little exchange, McGee was struck by a very unsettling sense of deja-vu. Last winter he had witnessed a nearly identical situation when he and Gibbs went to talk to a certain Melissa Dorn, who behaved as if she wanted nothing else than to get into Gibbs's pants. Funny thing was, she was their dead marine's half-sister and also a redhead.

What was it about Gibbs and the redheads anyway, McGee thought. It wasn't just that Gibbs had a thing for the them, apparently they had a thing for Gibbs as well!

"Besides Frank Harper, can you think of anyone else who may have had issues with your brother?" Gibbs asked Carol, getting the conversation back on track.

"I could name a few people."

"I'm listening."

"You know, it's kinda late." Carol glanced at her watch. "I've gotta be at work in twenty, but I may have an idea. How about you two come to the bar tonight? It's Susie Q's birthday and there's a small party planned. The whole town's gonna be there and I can show you everyone who may have had anything to do with Will's murder."

"We never said he was murdered." Gibbs set his eyes on the woman.

"If he hadn't, you guys wouldn't be here asking me about his enemies," she explained, apparently unaffected by Gibbs's scrutiny.

"You've got a point," he admitted.

"So?" Carol gave both agents a questioning glance. "Are you gonna come by the bar tonight or not?"

Gibbs exchanged looks with McGee, considering the idea. Blended into the crowd, they could observe their potential suspects without making themselves known. There was only one problem.

"Is there's a motel around here?" Gibbs asked the redhead.

"None I would know of," she replied with a devious smile, "but you could just crash here for the night. It's a big house, I have a couple spare bedrooms you could use."

"It's probably not a good idea," Gibbs had a bad feeling about this.

"My brother is dead and I want to help find his killer," Carol said passionately. "Getting you a room to stay is the least I could do."

"Boss, it'd save us a seven hour drive to Washington and back," McGee pointed out.

Ah, what the hell, Gibbs thought, finally giving up. It's not like they would be staying at a suspect's house.

"Okay," Gibbs nodded once and turning to Carol he said in a rather formal tone, "Thank you Miss Dunn, we appreciate it."

"Didn't I tell you to call me by my given name?" she retorted.

"Force of habit." Gibbs flashed her a half-smile. "Thank you Carol."

"It's my pleasure Agent Gibbs." She smiled back at him and then headed upstairs waving at both agents to follow.

Having showed Gibbs and McGee to their rooms, given them a spare key to the house and instructed them how to get to the bar where they would join her later in the evening, Carol changed into her work outfit: black shorts and t-shirt with a crown logo up front, and left for work. Once she was gone, the two agents retrieved their gear from the car and brought it all up to the larger of the two rooms Carol had let them use.

"McGee, set up a connection with Washington," Gibbs commanded, placing the grey briefcase concealing a portable computer on the desk and retreating to the bathroom.

"On it boss!" McGee got to work his magic and in about ten minutes he was on live video chat with Abby's lab.

"Hey McGee!" greeted him the goth. "How was the road trip?"

"We got lost," McGee told her, "but then we ran into Carol Dunn at a gas station and she helped us out."

"When are you coming back? I miss you!"

"Tomorrow."

"Where are you gonna sleep?"

"At Carol's."

"Really?" Abby's brows rose an inch and a mischievous smirk appeared on her lips.

"Abby," McGee lowered his voice, "you should've seen her before with Gibbs. She was all nice and sweet and looked at him in THAT kind of way, and she's also a redhead. Wouldn't be surprised, if she offered us a place to stay just so she could try and hit on him, or even sneak into his room at night and..." McGee suddenly noticed the change in Abby's expression. "He's behind me, isn't he?"

"You worried about my virtue McGee?" Gibbs sneered. "I'm touched."

"Boss, I really didn't mean..."

"Relax McGee," Abby laughed. "The boss has lots of experience in handling horny redheads, don't you Gibbs?"

"Oh yeah!" Gibbs rolled his eyes and continued on a more serious note, "Anything new Abs?"

"Ducky's done with the autopsy, nothing hinky popped up, but we still can't figure out what Dunn scratched his face with," Abby replied. "I found some residue under his shoes. It's just dirt but there was also a hair glued to the sole with a piece of chewing gum he must've stepped on. It's very long, red and wavy."

"Julie Harper has long red wavy hair," McGee observed, bringing to his mind the missing girl's photo. "It could be hers."

Gibbs nodded in agreement. It'd make perfect sense with what they knew so far.

"Hi boss, hi Probie!" Tony strode into the lab, a wide grin on his face. "How's the boondocks?

"What have you got DiNozzo?" Gibbs ignored Tony's question.

"So much for small talk," Tony sighed. "I talked to those few sailors assigned to ships other than the Kennedy via satellite. None of them was particularly close to Dunn, they all said he was an okay guy, did his job well, never caused any trouble."

"What about the Kennedy crew?"

"The ship has just sailed to port in Rota, Spain. I talked to Pau-, I mean, Agent Cassidy and we agreed I'd be flying over tonight to interview everyone first thing tomorrow morning."

"This explains why you're so perky," McGee remarked with a giggle, thinking about how many possibilities to hook up with this Paula girl Tony would have in Rota.

"Guys, you know how much I love Rota!"

"Do you now DiNozzo?" Gibbs furrowed his brow. "Get back to us as soon as you find something."

"Tony," McGee cut in, "there's no reception in here ,but in case of emergency you can call Carol's." McGee dictated him the number.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, ask those sailors if they know anything about Dunn's private life, in particular his relationship with Julie Harper," Gibbs said.

"Sure thing boss!"

Gibbs and McGee disconnected and only then Tony realized something.

"Wait a sec!" he gasped. "Did Probie just tell me to call them at Carol Dunn's place?"

"Yup!" Abby confirmed and shared with Tony everything she'd learned from McGee.

**§§§**

Gibbs drove his sedan into a small parking area next to a one story building with a neon banner on the roof saying: Quinn's Bar and Grill.

The place was full with people drinking, talking, some of them even dancing to the music playing in the background. Gibbs and McGee elbowed they way to the counter and took a seat on the high stools.

"I started to think you changed your minds and wouldn't come." Carol appeared before them. "What can I get you?"

They both ordered a beer and then took a look around. The interior of the bar was all stone and wood. There were various objects hung on the walls including posters, photos, even a beautiful example of deer horns complete with skull, and behind the counter, in a protective glass box there was a familiar looking Winchester rifle.

"See that guy over there?" Carol pointed out to a man in his late fifties sitting in one of the diner-style booths along the windows. "That's Frank Harper. The guy who's with him is Benny Tucker." The agents' attention moved to the other man while Carol continued, "The two of them have been buds since forever and both would've wanted for their kids to marry each other. Tucker's son, Scott has been working at Harper's since he graduated high school and would've been the perfect candidate to take over the company in the future."

"And did he like the idea?" Gibbs asked her.

"Are you kidding me?" Carol sniggered. "After years of breaking his back for Harper he would've killed to get his hands on the business!"

Gibbs and McGee exchanged looks while Carol scanned the room in search of Scott.

"There he is!" she finally said looking to the right, towards a group of young men gathered around a pool table. "He's the guy in the blue checkered shirt."

Gibbs and McGee checked out the young man. He appeared to be having a good time laughing with his friends and groping some blonde chick in a skirt so short it could be mistaken for a belt.

"He doesn't look too upset," McGee observed with a sneer.

Carol leaned down and said in a hushed tone, "Rumor says that now that Julie's gone, Frank and Old Tuck are working the papers so in case of Frank's death Scott would inherit the company anyway."

"That explains a lot," Gibbs muttered taking another sip of his beer.

"How did Scott feel about Julie?" McGee inquired.

"I don't think he loved her, if that's what you're asking me," Carol replied, "but she was a nice girl, sweet and kind and very pretty too. He sure wouldn't have minded marrying her."

Someone called for a drink and Carol left them for a moment to attend to the customer.

"What do you think McGee?" Gibbs asked the younger agent, first making sure no one was paying them attention.

"Not sure boss. All three men had motive to get rid of Dunn. It could be of help if we knew what happened to Julie."

"How so?" Gibbs prompted McGee to elaborate.

"Harper had no reason to get rid of Julie and I want to believe he wouldn't have killed his own daughter. If she'd dead, it's more likely the culprit is one of the Tuckers. Neither of them cared about Julie in the least, not even Scott, so they could've killed her to get what they wanted."

"What if she's alive and managed to escape?"

"Then she might be an eyewitness."

"They've been looking for her for months without any success. Even if she's alive, we probably can't count on her testimony."

"We could use it though."

"Yeah," Gibbs sighed tiredly. McGee was right. All they had so far was theories and they needed proof to back it up, if they wanted to nail Dunn's killer.

In the meantime Carol got back and Gibbs beckoned her closer with his finger. She leaned low over the counter, showing off a good piece of her cleavage and gave him a questioning look.

"Carol," Gibbs said quietly, "is there anyone else who may have been involved in William's death?"

"Well," she began, "I guess you could count up all of Harper's loggers. If he was the one behind this, he probably wouldn't get his own hands dirty but rather pay off one of his men to do it. Then there's also..." she stopped as if unsure if she was doing the right thing.

"Who?" Gibbs urged her to talk.

"My ex, Thomas Wells," Carol finally said, looking embarrassed.

"Why would he want to kill your brother?" McGee wanted to know.

"Will was strongly against my involvement with Tom. The two of them were sworn enemies since they were kids and Will tried to talk me out of the relationship countless times. Tom always feared that he may eventually succeed."

"Apparently he did," McGee commented.

"No." Carol shook her head. "I broke up with Tom only after Will's disappearance and for my own reasons, not because my brother had told me to do so."

Gibbs asked himself if Wells could be a potential suspect. His motive was dubious but he'd seen people kill for even less. It would't hurt to check him out.

"Which one is Wells?" he asked Carol.

She looked around the bar and finally pointed out far to her right.

"He's the guy in the leather jacket talking to the brunette woman."

Gibbs took a look at the man, but then his attention was caught by the woman. She had dark hair falling in soft waves halfway down her back and the denim shorts she wore accentuated her shapely butt and showed off a pair of slim legs.

"Who's the woman?"

"Some city slicker," Carol replied, clearly annoyed by Gibbs's interest in the brunette. "She came down a few days ago to visit Susie. They were friends back when she was in the Secret Service or something."

Just as Gibbs's mind registered the words 'Secret Service' the mysterious brunette turned around to face him and he felt his body go numb and his brain shut down.

It was Kate Todd.

**§§§**

* * *

><p>AN: Please don't kill me for making Gibbs and Kate break up. I swear there is a reason behind all this and it will come out later in the story.

There's gonna be no Fornell in this story (he will return in #3) but we have a special guest appearance from Agent Paula Cassidy.

I could use help on couple things if U'd be so kind. I'm not a native speaker and sometimes I can't figure out how things are called and ungle google has failed me too this times.

1. Thank guys for helping me out with the glove compartment. Appreciate it!

2. McGee's triple-pop half-caf vanilla latte - I took this one from s02e12 Doppelganger (scene where Miller brings everyone coffee) but I'm not 100% sure if I got it right. If anyone knows what the hell does he drink please tell me and I'll correct it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: NCIS and all things related belong to CBS and D. P. Bellisario**

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><p><strong>AN:** Thank U for reading! Favs, follows, reviews and constructive critique are very appreciated. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>BLOODLINES<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Kate couldn't believe her own eyes. She knew there were a thousand possibilities for her to come across Gibbs in Washington, but she would've never thought it could happen in this quiet small town, and yet there he was, staring at her from across the crowded room of a country bar in the middle of nowhere.

It was just too much for a coincidence, she thought, not to mention one of the things she had learned from the old bastard was that there was no such thing whatsoever.

Feeling her heart accelerate dangerously and her palms sweat in agitation, she watched Gibbs hop off his stool and walk towards her, McGee trailing behind him.

"Kate..." he said softly looking at her, eyes wide.

"What are you doing here?" she huffed, unsure whether she was still angry at him for dumping her the way he did, or for showing up in front of her while she was so desperately trying to get him out of her mind once and for all.

"We're working a case," he replied in a hushed tone.

A case? So this could really be just a coincidence, Kate thought. Sure, if Gibbs was following her for whatever reason, he probably wouldn't drag McGee along.

"What are YOU doing here?" he asked her.

"I'm on vacation," she answered.

"Vacation?" McGee seemed surprised. "In a place like this?"

"It's peaceful and quiet, and people around here are really nice."

"I see you've made some friends already." Gibbs glared at Thomas Wells, who stood by Kate's side watching the entire situation with curiosity.

"Guys, this is Tom," Kate introduced the man. "Tom, these are Gibbs and McGee."

"Kate's friends from Washington I presume?" The young man shook hands with them and winced just slightly when Gibbs squeezed his palm a bit stronger than necessary.

"Yeah, we know each other from work," McGee supplied.

"Strange, she never mentioned you."

"We worked together only on a couple of occasions."

"I see," Wells nodded glancing nervously at Gibbs, who kept on looking daggers at him.

"What about you?" McGee carried on the conversation. "Have you and Kate known each other for long?"

"No, we only met a few days ago," Wells told him. "I'm a mechanic and when Kate's car broke Sus sent her to my garage."

"Sus?" Gibbs inquired.

"Susan is a common friend," Kate explained and then asked, "How long are you gonna stay in town?"

"Impatient to get rid of me?" he teased.

"We're going back to DC tomorrow," McGee said before Kate and Gibbs could jump to each other's throats.

God, this is awkward, he thought glancing in between the two of them now engaged in a staring contest, and Thomas Wells watching them with evident unease.

"Tom," he called the young man's attention. "Uhm... Would you mind showing me to the men's room?" It was just as good an excuse as any to get Tom away, so Kate and Gibbs could have a moment to sort out their issues.

"Yeah, sure," Tom said and waved at McGee to follow him.

They pushed through the crowd to the back of the bar, where marked with a stick figure of a man and a woman, there were a couple doors leading to the restrooms.

"What's the deal between those two?" Tom asked when a couple minutes later he and McGee were washing their hands over the sink.

"They used to date," McGee replied figuring Tom was talking about Gibbs and Kate.

"Wait a sec!" Tom turned around to face him. "Is he the asshole that dumped her for some redhead?"

"I... I don't think so," McGee stuttered feeling disoriented.

It was Kate who dumped Gibbs, wasn't it? Now that he thought about it McGee couldn't recall Gibbs ever actually saying that. When Ducky found out Gibbs and Kate weren't seeing each other anymore and shared the information with him,Tony and Abby, they all assumed right away it was Kate who ended it. It was just more likely and Gibbs's downcast behavior only seemed to confirm their assumptions.

"When did Kate tell you that happened?" McGee wondered whether she could've meant someone she dated after breaking up with Gibbs.

"About three months ago," Wells said.

That placed it in late May, and according to their estimates that was exactly when the fateful break-up happened.

"Well, in that case, that's probably him," McGee muttered deep in thought, pulling out his cell from his jeans pocket, but there was obviously no reception.

"There's a pay phone if you need to make call" Tom offered leaving the room.

McGee followed him out, searching his pockets for change, and he easily spotted the phone hanging on the wall by the counter. He picked up the receiver, put twenty cents into the slot and dialed DiNozzo's number.

**§§§**

Tony's flight for Rota was scheduled for 10:30 p.m and since he kept a change of clothes, a toothbrush and a few other essential items in the office in case of emergency, he didn't even bother going home. Abby, Ducky and Palmer decided to stay late as well and keep him company until he'd have to leave for the airport ,and now they all sat in the bullpen entertaining themselves by doing imitations of one another, including Gibbs and McGee.

They were still laughing hard at Abby's particularly hilarious interpretation of their boss, when Tony's cellphone rang. The agent stared at the unknown number on the display but eventually picked up.

"Hello?" he said, wondering if it could be one of his countless ex-girlfriends, whose number he cancelled when his cell ran out of memory.

"Tony!" a familiar voice spoke up at the other end of the line.

"Probie?"

"Yeah it's me."

"Whose number is this?"

"Nobody's. I'm calling from a pay phone at the local bar."

"What's that noise?" Tony could hear voices, music, and various other sounds in the background.

"There's a party," McGee explained

"A party?" DiNozzo perked up. "I'm starting to regret I didn't go with you."

"You'll regret it even more when I tell you what just happened."

"What?"

"Tony," McGee paused for effect, "we ran into Kate"

"WHAT?!" Tony almost fell off his seat.

"What's going on?" Abby cut in, a worried expression on her face.

"Kate's there," Tony told her.

"No way!" she exclaimed, her eyes popping out.

"Oh my," Ducky sighed, putting a hand over his mouth.

"You mean Kate, Agent Gibbs's ex-girlfriend?" Pamler looked puzzled.

"Do we know any other Kate?!" Tony huffed at him.

"Tony, put it on speaker," Abby urged him and the Agent quickly complied.

"Probie, what the hell is the FBI doing down there?" he asked.

"The FBI has nothing to do with this," McGee replied. "Kate said she came down here on vacation."

"Who'd go on vacation to the boondocks?" Tony commented in sheer bewilderment.

"McGee," Abby cut in, " where's Gibbs? Is he..."

"He's with her," McGee confirmed her suspicions. "Last time I checked they were just staring a hole in each other's heads."

"I can only imagine how Jethro must feel right now," Ducky said, concern evident in his voice. "He deeply cared about Caitlin and I have reasons to believe he still does."

"Too bad she doesn't feel the same," Tony retorted.

As much as he was against their romance in the very beginning, with time Tony had come to see the perks of it. Gibbs wasn't quite as disgruntled as usual, he smiled more, sometimes even cracked a joke and there was a visible bounce to his walk. He didn't headslap them quite as much as before and Tony liked to joke that after Kate had worn him out in bed, he didn't even have the strength to raise his hand. The Kate-therapy was working wonders and if Tony had to put a name to it, he'd say that their boss was just... happy.

"Kate seemed so crazy about Gibbs," Abby sighed bringing up to mind her various memories of them together. "I would've never thought she'd dump him like that!"

"Perhaps she didn't?" McGee wondered.

"What do you mean?"

"Kate's new boyfriend says she told him it was Gibbs who dumped her for some redhead."

Abby and Tony exchanged a bewildered look and shouted almost at the same time:

"What redhead?"

"What boyfriend?!"

"Kate's been hanging out with a local, a certain Tom Wells," McGee explained. "She was with him when we spotted her."

"Poor Gibbs," Abby cried. "It must've broken his heart to see Kate with another guy."

"Abs, there's something even worse," McGee said is a hush tone. "Wells could be involved in Dunn's murder."

"A twisted love-crime triangle like in that movie-" Tony began, but McGee cut him off:

"More like a quadrangle," he said. "Let's not forget Carol Dunn's in the mix as well. She and Wells used to be together, and now she's got the hots for Gibbs."

"Timothy," Ducky addressed McGee, "did you say before that Jethro left Caitlin for a redhead?"

"That's what Wells told me."

"But that can't be. I am absolutely positive he hasn't been seeing any other woman recently, especially a red-haired one. I'll even say more, he gave me the impression of being still in love with Caitlin."

"He gave us all that impression," McGee said. "That's why we all assumed it was Kate who dumped him."

"But if that was the case, why would she lie about it?"

"Perhaps she's looking for attention?" Palmer offered.

"A hot girl like Kate doesn't need to resort to such petty ways to get attention," Tony remarked sending a glare Palmer's way.

"What if she didn't lie?" McGee wondered. "What if Gibbs did dump her?"

"It wouldn't make sense," Palmer argued. "Kate is young and pretty, while Agent Gibbs is... well... old and scary."

"I can assure you Mr Palmer that our Caitlin never considered him as such," Ducky told him.

"It's just hard to believe that a man like him would dump a woman like her."

"In fact, it'd be very uncharacteristic of Jethro. Not once before had he been the one to end a relationship. It had always been his women who walked on him."

"He can't have done it," Abby spoke up, her voice full with certainty. "Gibbs loved Kate like he loves his coffee and he would've never, ever left her."

"He must have," McGee insisted.

"But why would he?"

"Something doesn't sit right here, I think we can all agree on that," Tony said and when everyone nodded he continued, "So far we could only guess what happened, but now we have a chance to actually find out. We need to get a confession."

"Tony," McGee interrupted, "Gibbs didn't spill the beans in three months, what makes you think he will now?"

"Oh, he won't, but Kate is another story."

"What, you want me to go and just ask her about it?!" McGee snorted.

"You're a trained investigator, you'll figure something out," Tony grinned. "We're counting on you McTective!"

**§§§**

Gibbs stared into Kate's big brown eyes, fighting the urge to scoop her into his arms and kiss her breathless as if nothing had ever happened. He didn't even notice when McGee and Wells took off leaving them alone. Well, as alone as one could be in a room full with people.

"What was that?" Kate spat at him as soon as the two younger men were gone.

"What was what?" he played dumb.

"You've been glaring at Tom like you wanted to kill him!"

"I don't like the guy."

"What, are you jealous?"

Gibbs just narrowed his eyes and Kate realized she'd hit the mark.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" she snorted.

"Katie..." Gibbs said softly and Kate flinched at the sound of the nickname only he had ever been allowed to use.

She had sensed pain and regret in his voice and that stopped her from jumping back when he stepped closer, invading her personal space, and raised his hand to cup her face. He gently brushed his thumb over her cheek and Kate closed her eyes, giving in to his touch. Her anger slowly dissipated and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to wake up back in May, feeling Gibbs's arms wrapped around her and hear him tell her that it had all been just a bad dream.

Then suddenly the rational part of Kate's brain kicked in, her eyes snapped open, and she stepped back brushing Gibbs's hand off.

"Don't do that," she said harshly, resentment taking over her again.

"Do what?"

"Act like nothing had happened!"

"I just..."

"What? You thought that making puppy eyes at me will erase everything you've said and done?" She sounded so hurt that Gibbs wanted to repeatedly headslap himself for having done this to her.

"Kate, I can explain."

"There's nothing to explain Gibbs."

Oh, but there was. Had Kate only known...

"You've made your decision, and I'm fine with it," she continued, trying to sound matter-of-fact. "I'm over you."

"Are you?" he searched her eyes for a hint of uncertainty and just as he thought he'd found it, it was gone without a trace.

"I am," Kate stated firmly.

"So... you're dating this Tom now?" Gibbs inquired.

"Would you mind if I did?"

"Would it make any difference?"

"We've known each other only for a few days," Kate finally said, "but he's a nice guy and I really like him."

"Kate," Gibbs hesitated for a moment before saying, "keep your eyes open"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Before Gibbs could reply, Tom Wells appeared at Kate's side.

"Everything okay?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, sure." Kate flashed him a small smile.

"Come on, let's go have a drink" he offered, completely ignoring Gibbs's presence.

"Good idea," Kate nodded. "See you around Gibbs," she said, throwing him one last glance before following Tom to the counter.

Gibbs watched them walk away with a growing sense of frustration. He knew he had no right to muscle into Kate's relationship with Tom Wells, whatever its nature, but he just couldn't help himself. He realized the past couldn't be undone, but he still cared about Kate and he wanted her back.

He decided that, when he returned to Washington, he'd get some flowers and a good bottle of wine and go make up with her, hoping she wouldn't shoot him in the doorframe. But first he had a case to solve and a killer to catch.

Feeling he needed to clear his mind, he walked out of the bar and into the fresh evening air. Leaning against the cold stone wall, he closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath.

"Want a smoke?" a male voice spoke up.

Gibbs turned to his right and saw a tall, bearded man in a checkered shirt holding out an open pack of Marlboros.

"No, thanks." He shook his head declining the offer.

"Come on!" the stranger insisted. "You look like you could use it."

Gibbs chuckled a bit, rolling his eyes and finally took a cigarette. The bearded men threw him a lighter and he lit the cigarette up and inhaled deeply. It was the first smoke he had in decades.

"So, what is it? Work or women?" the stranger asked curiously.

"Both," Gibbs replied, taking another mouthful of smoke.

"Ah, I know something about that," the man laughed. "I run this place with my wife. By the way, I'm Terry Quinn."

"Jethro Gibbs."

The two men shook hands and then Terry continued on his inquiry:

"What brings you to town Jethro?"

"William Dunn."

"He went missing several months ago," Terry informed him.

"We just found him," Gibbs retorted. "He's dead."

"Dead?" Terry's eyes widened in shock at the revelation. "How?"

"Murdered."

"You're a cop, aren't you?"

"Sort of. I'm a federal agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service."

"Will was a good guy," Terry said through gritted teeth. "You find that sonovabitch who did this to him!"

"I will." Gibbs gave him an assuring look. "That's what I'm here for."

"You think it was someone from the town?"

"It's a possibility."

There was a long moment of silence after that until Gibbs spoke up again:

"Terry, how well do you know the Dunns?"

"Very well, why?"

"What can you tell me about them?" It had occurred to Gibbs that, apart from their love life, he actually knew very little about the siblings.

"Great kids, both of 'em," Terry told him. "They've always been very close and when Will went missing Carol took it real bad."

"How bad?"

"When she came back from Norfolk that day, she seemed to be almost in a state of shock. She was absent-minded, barely spoke to anyone, sometimes she acted as if she didn't recognize people. After a few weeks she got better but I'm telling you, she wasn't the same person anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"The Carol I used to know was a very sweet young woman who wanted to get married, have a family, live a simple life. Now she's like one of those rebel teenagers! She broke off her engagement and started having various men coming over," Terry explained. "When I saw you talking to her before I thought you were her newest catch."

"No, definitely not," Gibbs laughed shortly.

"You'd better watch it man," Terry warned. "This new Carol's a fox and you definitely are her type, especially with that hair."

The main door opened and a very agitated McGee rushed outside.

"There you are boss!" he exclaimed.

"Man of yours?" Terry inquired, giving the newcomer a curious glance.

"Uh-huh," Gibbs nodded and made the necessary introductions.

McGee noticed the cigarettes and quirked his brows in surprise. "Boss, since when do you smoke?"

"I don't"

"But-" An annoyed glare cut the younger agent off. "Never mind."

It was unsettling to see Gibbs smoking, his only addiction had always been caffeine, and McGee wondered whether it could have something to do with their encounter with Kate earlier on.

"Time for me to go." Terry headed for the door. "Can't miss my Susie blowing her candles."

When Terry disappeared inside the bar, McGee gave Gibbs a concerned look and asked, "Everything okay boss?"

Gibbs ignored the question. Nothing was really okay but he was getting tired of everyone asking him about it ten times a day.

"Come on McGee," he waved at the younger agent, smashing the cigarette butt with his heel. "Nothing else for us to do here."

**§§§**

Close to midnight Kate decided she wanted to leave and Tom offered he'd walk her home.

Kate was awfully quiet for entire trip and, as much as he tried to blame it on the copious amounts of alcohol she'd had, deep down he knew it was because of the tall, gray-haired man they'd met earlier. He'd noticed how she scanned the room from time to time, undoubtably looking for him, but after their little tete-à-tete the man had vanished and he didn't come up again for the rest of the evening.

Good for him, Tom thought. Since he'd learned who Gibbs was, he wanted to punch him in the face for making Kate suffer and restrained himself only because he didn't want to ruin Susie's birthday by putting up a fight.

"This is me," Kate said quietly when they finally reached the Quinns' house. "Goodnight Tom."

"Night Kate," he replied, but before she reached the door he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her back.

He knew she was troubled and wanted to tell her something that would make her feel better, but what could he possibly say? That she was a wonderful woman and the man must've been a superb idiot to have let her go? That he didn't deserve her? That she could have better? She'd probably heard all those things a thousand times already!

Instead he stepped closer and pulled Kate into a warm hug, hoping it would give her the comfort she needed right now. She returned it, wrapping her arms around his waist and snuggling her head into the crook of his neck. She felt so good, tender and warm, and without thinking what he was doing, Tom pulled away just enough to face her and kissed her softly on the lips.

Taken by surprise and still high on alcohol, Kate gave in to the pleasure and responded to the gentle caress. She didn't pull back even when she felt Tom slide his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss.

Eventually they broke apart and Kate gave Tom a stunned look, touching her lips in disbelief.

"I... I'd better go now." She backed off towards the door.

"Kate, I'm so sorry!" Tom called out to her. "I don't know what got into me!"

"Never say you're sorry, it's a sign of weakness," she replied and almost burst into laugher as she realized that she'd just quoted one of Gibbs's infamous rules. "Goodnight Tom."

"Sweet dreams Kate." Tom watched her disappear inside the house and then walked away.

That night Kate couldn't get asleep. Laying in her bed, she kept on mulling over her kiss with Tom but the more she thought about it, the more confused she felt. Eventually she gave up on sleep and went downstairs to make herself a nice, hot cup of tea.

She sat in the living, sipping slowly on the steamy liquid, when she heard the front door crack open and saw Susan and Terry walk in.

When they spotted Kate curled up on the couch, Terry headed upstairs, mumbling something about a shower, leaving his wife alone with her friend.

"Thought you'd be sleeping already." Susan took a seat next to Kate.

"Tom kissed me," Kate said without much preamble.

"Wow!" her friend exclaimed, taken aback by the sudden announcement, but then she noticed the grimace on Kate's face. "Wasn't it good?" she asked, a bit perplexed.

"It was." Kate didn't sound very convincing.

The kiss had felt good, but at the same time it had felt wrong. Kate really liked Tom but she couldn't help but think she'd kissed him back just because she was a bit drunk and because she wanted to get back at Gibbs.

"What's wrong Kate?" Susan could tell something bothering the younger woman.

"Gibbs is here," Kate said.

"You mean the blue-eyed-ex-marine-bastard-Gibbs?"

"Him exactly."

"He came down here for you?"

"No, he and McGee are here to investigate."

"Investigate what?"

"I don't know, they didn't say."

"So, you spoke to him." It was a statement not a question but Kate still nodded 'yes'. "And?" Susan prompted.

"Sus, I think he regrets breaking up with me."

"Ha! The redhead must've dumped him!"

"He acted as if he still cared about me and wanted us to get back together."

"Kate, tell me you're not thinking about giving him a second chance!"

"No way!" Despite her conflicted emotions for Gibbs, Kate had absolutely no intention of getting back with him. "It's just that... " she added in a small voice, "now that I saw him again, I just can't get him off my mind."

"Goodness Kate," Susan pulled her into a hug. "This Gibbs really got under your skin."

"He has that effect on people. Whether you love him or you hate him, once you've met him, you can never forget him."

**§§§**

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><p><strong>AN:** Is there a redhead or isn't there? That is the question. Any ideas of what might have happened beetween Gibbs and Kate? It is something that can be figured out and I'll hint that there is a third party involved.

btw. Gibbs can pull out the most heartbreaking puppy eyes ever, can't he?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: NCIS and all things related belong to CBS and Bellisario**

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><p>AN: Oh geez, I thought I'd never finish this one but here it is so enjoy!

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><p><strong>BLOODLINES<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

_Friday, August 27th 2004_

Following the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Gibbs strode into the kitchen and saw a young woman in a baggy T-shirt with a towel wrapped around her head, making herself busy by the counter.

The sight and the smell took him back to a different morning, when entering his own kitchen, he saw Kate preparing some breakfast dressed in the very same fashion.

_Standing at the door, he took a moment just to watch her, thinking that even if they hadn't been dating long, she already looked like she belonged in his house, and his lips curled up in a warm smile._

_Quietly he snuck in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist._

_"Mornin' beautiful," he said, placing a kiss on the side of her neck._

_"Good morning," she replied and passed him a steamy mug._

_Freeing one of his hands, he grabbed the mug, drank some and then placed it back on the counter top._

_"Whatcha makin'?" he asked, his right palm traveling to her waist again._

_"Eggs and toast," she said. "Didn't have much of a choice since your fridge was close to empty, as usual."_

_"Eggs and toast sounds great to me." In that moment he didn't care much about food._

_Last night they'd both been so tired after a long week at work that sometime in between petting and kissing they just fell asleep, and now he wanted nothing more than to finally bury himself inside her._

_Tentatively he ran his hands up her naked thighs and under her shirt. His fingers caressed her hips looking for a string of fabric and when they didn't find any, he realized that his old, faded NIS T-shirt was truly the only piece of clothing she had on and the thought turned him on even more._

_"Gibbs, stop it!" she giggled as he kept on his sensual exploration._

_"Are you sure you want me to stop?" he asked, nuzzling his nose into her fragrant hair, still damp from the shower._

_"I'm gonna burn the eggs!"_

_"Whatever."_

_His hands found their way in between her thighs and Kate inhaled sharply in response to his touch. He smirked and pressing her body hard against his growing arousal, he kept on teasing her, savoring every gasp, every little whimper she made. He just loved to make her turn into a quivering mess, ready to beg him to finally take her._

_He pulled her away from the counter and, in one last moment of lucidity, she turned off the gas under the already overcooked eggs before following him to the dining room._

_"I want you so bad," he groaned against her neck, nibbling at the sensitive skin there._

_His hands moved under her shirt to cup her perfectly round breasts and she arched her body in pleasure, a soft moan escaping her lips._

_"Then take me," she whispered, flashing him an excited smile and biting her lip seductively._

_He didn't have to be told twice._

_"Bend over," he said motioning towards the table._

_Kate eagerly complied, leaning low over the table top, and he stepped in behind her and moved his palms up her slender legs until he reached the hem of her shirt. He slipped his thumbs underneath the fabric and pulled it up, exposing her shapely butt._

"Like what you see?" asked a sultry voice that definitely wasn't Kate's.

Suddenly Gibbs snapped back into the present and realized with horror that, lost in his thoughts, he'd accidentally ended up staring at Carol Dunn's backside. Embarrassed to no end, he lowered his eyes, trying to avoid answering the question.

"Good morning!" McGee entered the kitchen distracting Carol from Gibbs for the moment.

"Good morning Agent McGee," she greeted with a smile. "Want a latte?"

"Sure, thanks," he took a seat next to his boss.

A minute later Carol served them both a cup of hot, fresh coffee and also offered them some cereal and toast, all the while sending seductive glances Gibbs's way.

The silver-haired agent did his best to keep his composure but in his mind he was headslapping himself over and over again, all the while repeating like a mantra that he would never ever daydream in public again.

**§§§**

After breakfast the two agents left to speak to Frank Harper.

On the drive they attempted to narrow down as much as possible Dunn's approximate time of death, since Ducky's estimates were way too vague for their purposes.

"According to the old case file, Dunn had last reported on USS Kennedy on Monday, March 1st," McGee said. "Then Carol found his house empty on Friday, March 5th. It's most likely he was killed during that timeframe."

"He could've still been alive on the 5th and on the run with Julie Harper," Gibbs observed.

"His body was found in Norfolk, so whoever killed him must've done it before they managed to leave town," McGee noted.

"Good point," Gibbs agreed. "Let's expand our initial timeframe only to Monday 8th. That's when Dunn had been officially reported missing and since the search party came up with nothing, it makes me think he must've surely been dead and down in that lake at the time."

They finally arrived at Harper's place but he wasn't home. One of his neighbors, a nosy old lady with a horde of cats, who came out of the house attracted by the sight of an unfamiliar car parked across the street, informed them Harper had already left for work.

Ten minutes later they reached Harper's logging company office building and went inside.

"May I help you?" they got welcomed by a sharp looking woman in her early forties with short, extremely bleached hair.

"Special Agents Gibbs and McGee, NCIS," Gibbs introduced them. "We'd like to speak to Mr. Harper."

The woman went to check with her boss and a minute later she led them into his office and had them take a seat.

"I'd expect people from my insurance company but Federal Agents? That's new!" Harper said from across his desk. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"We are investigating the murder of Petty Officer William Dunn," Gibbs said keeping an eye on the man's reaction.

"What does it have to do with me?" Harper asked, his face emotionless.

"We heard Dunn had a relationship with your daughter you strongly disapproved of," McGee clarified.

"That's true. That prick put all kinds of stupid ideas into Julie's head."

"Like what?" Gibbs inquired.

"The latest one? He convinced her she could join the Navy as well!" Harper scoffed "Her! A woman!"

"Many women make a successful career in the Navy."

"Oh please! A woman's place is at home, taking care of her husband, raising kids."

What a chauvinist, McGee thought, no wonder his daughter ran away.

"I'd rather she'd gotten married and given me a grandson I could leave my business to," Harper continued on his rant. "There were a few men interested in marrying her but she turned them all down and kept on hanging out with the bloody sailor!"

"When exactly did you realize Julie had run off with Petty Officer Dunn?"

"About four days after she'd disappeared. I heard at the bar that Dunn had also been missing since the same day and put two and two together."

Gibbs made some notes and then asked, "Where were you between Monday, March 1st and Sunday, March 7th?"

"Am I suspected of something?" Harper bristled.

"It's a routine question," McGee tried to placate his rising temper.

"Let's see..." Frank Harper checked his calendar. "From Monday to Wednesday I was in Richmond talking to some contractors. Here you have their names and contact information." He scribbled something on a piece of paper. "After that I didn't leave town. On Thursday and Friday I was here the whole day, Libby will confirm. Then on Saturday I figured Julie was gone. She had told me the day before that she would be working a double shift to cover for Carol Dunn, who was going to Norfolk to see her brother. When she didn't come home by the next morning I got worried and went to check in at the bar, but Susie Q told me she hadn't seen Julie since Thursday. At that point I thought something bad must've happened to her and I went to report her missing. Ask at the bar and at the Police Station for my whereabouts on that day."

"What about Sunday?" Gibbs inquired further.

"I was at church," Harper said coldly, "praying that they find my little girl."

"We'll verify all that."

"By all means, do. I've got nothing to hide."

"One more thing, could you show us the company time cards from that week?"

"Libby," he called for the secretary via intercom, "get me the time cards from March 1st to March 5th 2004."

A moment later Libby came in and showed the requested documents to Gibbs and McGee. They checked the signatures but none of them appeared to be forged. If Frank Harper had one of his men go after Dunn, he could've had them sign the time card beforehand, but there was no way to prove that.

Eventually the two agents headed out and Libby walked them to the door. On their way they asked her about her boss's alibi and she confirmed that he'd spent the entire day at the office on both March 4th and 5th.

After leaving Harper's workplace they drove to the Police Station. On their way they passed by the church and decided to make a small detour.

The reverend remembered well the Sunday right after Julie Harper's disappearance and confirmed that her father had spent most of the day at church, praying, before rejoining the search team party in the afternoon.

When Gibbs and McGee eventually arrived to the Police Station, they informed Sheriff Jackson about the situation and he let them use his office phone to make the necessary calls, and had Julie Harper's missing person report pulled out.

The date stamp indicated that Harper had filed it at 10.23 a.m. on March 6th and the Sheriff confirmed it.

"Frank rushed in sometime around ten, yelling that his little girl had disappeared," he told Gibbs. "We had him file a missing person report and then he joined in with the search party. We'd been scanning the entire area for three days but we found no trace of Julie. Then Frank came up with the idea that she could've run off with William Dunn and we passed the case to Norfolk."

"Boss," McGee came out of Jackson's office, "Harper's alibi checked out. He really was in Richmond on business on those days."

"Told you old Frank had nothing to do with Dunn's death," Sheriff Jackson declared firmly. "He's got his flaws but deep down he's a good man. He'd never harm anyone let alone commit a murder."

Gibbs really wished Jackson was right, for Julie's sake. He thanked the man for his cooperation and headed out, McGee following after him.

They decided to go get something to eat before talking to the other suspects. It was past lunchtime and their stomachs had been reminding them that they hadn't had a solid meal in over twenty four hours.

"What do you think boss?" the younger agent asked as they drove to Quinn's.

"My gut tells me he didn't do it," Gibbs said, "but he isn't completely in the clear yet."

"But boss," McGee was confused, "his alibi for each day checked out, even the one about being at church."

"Norfolk is within spitting distance from Richmond and Harper's contractors surely weren't with him at all times. He could've driven to Norfolk, killed Dunn and gotten back before anyone even noticed he had been gone."

**§§§**

When Tony DiNozzo stepped out of the plane into the hot Spanish air, it was almost four p.m. in Rota. Feeling slightly jet-lagged, he went straight to arrivals and instantly recognized the lovely blonde waiting for him there.

"Hello Agent DiNozzo," Paula Cassidy greeted him.

"_Hola senorita_!" Tony replied, staring at her with a wide grin plastered on his face.

He hadn't seen Paula in almost a year and now he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She hadn't changed much: her hair was a bit longer but her eyes were just as blue as before and her smile just as daring.

"I missed you," he said softly.

"If you did, you would've written, and I didn't receive any e-mails," she retorted.

"Well, I figured you'd be too busy to reply. You were at sea with five thousand men."

Paula just laughed at that and then she said as seriously as possible, "Let's go Agent DiNozzo, I will show you to your temporary accommodations."

"Are they close to yours?"

"Next door."

"How convenient."

"Whatever it is that you have in mind, it's not going to happen," Paula cut Tony off. She was a few months older and wiser than the last time and knew from experience that getting romantically involved with Tony DiNozzo was hardly a good idea.

"Why not?" Tony insisted.

"If Gibbs were here, he'd smack your head off for even just thinking about it."

"Gibbs isn't here and what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"What if he gets to know?"

"He won't, unless you tell him."

Tony crowded Paula's personal space, looking straight into her eyes, his lips curled up in a smile, and she felt her resolve to keep her distance from him slowly fade. Young, funny, easy-going and very good-looking, Tony DiNozzo was so different from the men she usually had to deal with and she'd been attracted to him since they had first met at Guantanamo Bay.

"I made some arrangements with the NCIS Team in Rota." Paula stepped back and turned her eyes away in an attempt to get their conversation back on professional grounds. "They are letting us use their offices and Special Agents Wilks and Ortega are also going to help us conduct the interviews. I narrowed down the numbers as much as possible but we're still talking about over forty people."

"Well, if you compare it to five thousand, forty doesn't seem so many."

In the next hour Tony made a stop at his quarters for a quick shower and a change of clothes and then he and Paula drove to the NCIS Office in Rota. Once there they read the two local agents into the case and Tony also informed everyone about the most recent developments.

It took the four of them several hours to finish all the interviews. Afterwards they gathered in the squad room to exchange information and then Tony and Paula thanked Wilks and Ortega for their help and left off.

On the way back Tony took the wheel and instead of going straight to their quarters he drove to the boulevard by the beach.

"What are you up to Tony?" Paula asked, alerted by the unplanned detour.

"Finally!" Tony cheered.

"Finally what?"

"You stopped calling me 'Agent DiNozzo'."

Paula just rolled her eyes at him but her lips stretched out in a smile.

"I thought I could offer you dinner," Tony finally answered her earlier question.

"Tony..." she began in a bit of a scolding tone.

"What?" he played innocent. "I'm starving, aren't you?"

Truth be told, she was rather hungry and the prospect of having dinner with the ever so charming Italian was very tempting.

"Okay, let's go!" She finally surrendered. "I know about one place where they make a fantastic paella."

Paula led them to a small restaurant by the beach. Scooping the paella, which was truly delicious, of their plates, they talked, laughed and just had a good time together.

With every passing minute, and every next sip of her Mojito, Paula felt herself relax more and more. It was so easy when she was with Tony. He could make her feel like a sixteen year old again with a just a smile. When after dinner he proposed they had a walk on the beach, she didn't protest anymore.

Walking barefoot along the sea they came across a small party on the beach. Taken by the rhythm, Tony tossed his shoes away and grabbed Paula's hand inviting her to dance.

They danced one song, then another one, getting lost in the music and in each other. At one point Tony pulled Paula's hand and she gracefully rolled in and ended up trapped in his arms. One of his hands pushed against her lower back, holding her close, the other one entangled in her silky blonde hair, and staring at her bleary-eyed he whispered, "The only thing I want right now is to kiss you."

She didn't reply, only tilted her head just slightly, lowering her eyes and parting her lips in anticipation. Tony took the hint and leaned in until their lips merged in a long, sensual kiss.

**§§§**

Kate sat in the booth by the window, her eyes set on the man across the table.

"Tom, I need to talk to you about last night," she said quietly fiddling with her fingers. She hated having those kinds of conversations but at this point it was inevitable.

She had had a great time with Tom during the past week, but last night's events turned everything upside down and she felt she needed to clarify a few things before the situation got out of hand.

"Don't say anything." Tom placed his hand on hers. "I know I shouldn't have kissed you just yet. From now on we'll take things slower."

"Tom, it's not just about that."

Tom Wells was everything Kate could've ever wanted: young, handsome with his hazel eyes, dark blonde hair and a muscular physique, kind, generous, caring and with a sense of humor. In another lifetime she could've easily fallen for him, but now things were different and she didn't want to give him false hopes.

At the sound of the door bell Kate perked her head up, nervously slipping her hand away. Tom turned around and saw McGee and Gibbs entering the bar, the latter throwing a quick glance their way, before following his companion to the other side of the room.

"Is this about him?" Tom asked.

"No!" Kate denied perhaps a bit too brusquely and when Tom arched his brow doubtfully she added, "Not in the way you think."

Tom just stared at her, a questioning look on his face, and Kate exhaled deeply and continued:

"I like you Tom, I really do, but after what happened between me and Gibbs I feel I'm not ready to take on a new relationship just yet."

"It's okay Kate, I understand." Tom smiled sadly.

"I'm so sorry Tom. I never meant to mislead you."

"It's not your fault. It was me who got it all wrong, perhaps because a part of me wanted to get it that way."

"Friends like before?" Kate asked almost pleadingly.

"Do you even have to ask?" Tom took her hand in his again and this time Kate didn't retract it. Her lips curled up in a wide sincere smile and Tom squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Let's just pretend that kiss never happened," he said.

"What kiss?" she joked and they both laughed.

"I need to go back to work now," Tom said after a moment and then came up to Kate, and holding her close, he pecked her cheek. "See you later."

When Tom left Kate looked around the bar and noticed McGee sitting alone in his booth. After some hesitation she got up and walked over to him.

"Hey McGee!" she greeted with a smile. "How's the investigation going?"

"A bit slow actually," the Agent replied. "I was just about to call Tony, see if he's got anything new."

"What's the case?" Kate asked curious.

"Murder of a sailor, William Dunn, Carol the bartender's brother. We think his death could be related to the disappearance of his girlfriend, Julie, but other than that we're groping in the dark."

McGee hit a few keys, setting up a connection with Tony's laptop making use of the bar wifi signal. When he got the video feed on he heard whispers and saw two figures, one of which was most certainly female, standing in the shadow far from the eye of the camera.

"Hey Tony!" he cheered, startling the couple.

The female vanished immediately behind an open door, while the male turned on his heel and stared at the laptop in horror.

"Hey there McSpy!" he hissed, his eyes glancing all over the screen as if he was looking for something. "Where's Gibbs?" he asked skittishly.

"Relax rule-breaker!" McGee chuckled. "He's gone to talk to the bar owner."

"Got something to hide DiNozzo?" Kate laughed.

"Is that you Kate?" Tony recognized her voice.

"Hi Tony!" Kate showed up waving a hand into the camera and then returned to her seat across the table.

"Probie, did you do that thing I told you about yesterday?" Tony asked cryptically.

"Didn't have a chance yet," McGee replied.

Kate wondered for a moment what 'thing' they were talking about, but eventually she dismissed the thought, figuring that, knowing DiNozzo, it must've been something stupid and childish.

"Tony, was that Paula before?" McGee inquired.

The Italian just nodded in reply.

So much for her better judgement, McGee thought, amused.

"Who's Paula?" Kate was curious.

"She's an NCIS Agent Tony has the hots for," McGee informed her, then turned back to DiNozzo. "Something happened, didn't it?"

"Yeah," Tony beamed, " and the best part is still ahead of me."

"Gibbs is so gonna kill you when he finds out about this," Kate laughed.

"Find out about what?"

Kate turned around startled and saw Gibbs watching her intently with those unreadable blue eyes of his.

"Nothing," she said. "We were just fooling around."

Smirking under his nose, he went to sit next to McGee and passed him a coffee cup.

"Hey boss!" Seeing Gibbs appear on screen, Tony put up his best innocent face. "How was the night at Carol's?

"Fine," Gibbs cut it short.

"You slept at Carol Dunn's place?!" Kate flared.

"What, are you jealous?" Gibbs remarked, quirking his brow.

"No," Kate lied.

Hell yes, she was jealous! Well, perhaps not exactly jealous, but she didn't like the idea of Gibbs sleeping in one same house with the biggest slut in town. The fact Carol was a pretty redhead didn't help matters either.

"As far as I'm concerned," she added, "you can even sleep at the Playboy Mansion."

Gibbs fixed his eyes on her, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly and Kate fought hard not to budge.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs finally got his attention back on the screen, "what did you find?"

"Dunn was generally liked, had only minor issues with a couple other sailors but nothing worth killing for, and they all have alibis for the time of his murder."

"Learn anything about his personal life?"

"Dunn's buds told me he didn't talk much about home. The only people he ever mentioned were the sister, a guy named Terry and Julie Harper, but he never actually referred to her as his girlfriend."

"What else?"

"Well..." Tony was about to pull the ace out of his sleeve. "I may have an idea where and how Dunn was first attacked."

"You 'may have and idea'?"

"Different people gave me different versions of the story."

"What story?" Gibbs rushed, impatient.

"Apparently Dunn spent the last moments of his life drinking," Tony said. "A few sailors saw him at a bar on Friday evening."

"Boss, this rules out Frank Harper as a potential suspect," McGee interrupted. "His alibi for the weekend is foolproof."

"Yeah, I know," Gibbs nodded. His money had always been on the Tuckers anyway.

"Boss, remember those shards of glass Ducky found in Dunn's wound?" Tony called for his attention. "I think it could've been-"

"A bottle," Gibbs finished for him.

"Exactly," Tony agreed. "Listen to this boss: Dunn goes to have a drink, ends up in a bar fight, gets hit with a bottle, passes out, they think he's dead so they throw him into the lake to get rid of the body."

"Sounds like a valid theory," Kate commented, involuntarily drawing Gibbs's attention back to her.

"DiNozzo," he said, his eyes locked with Kate's, their knees touching accidentally under the table, "get back to DC asap and go hit that bar. It could be our primary crime scene."

"Here's the catch boss: the sailors were so drunk that they couldn't tell me exactly which bar they had seen Dunn at so I don't really know..." Tony had been given the Glare. "I'll find that out!"

"Yes, you will."

"There's something else boss," Tony went on. "A couple of them claim Dunn wasn't alone. They'd seen him with a woman."

"Got a description?"

"Young and beautiful, with long, red, flowing hair."

"Julie Harper," McGee said, glancing at Gibbs who gave him an acknowledging nod.

"What's most interesting, the two of them were arguing."

The three agents exchanged quizzical looks. So far they thought of Julie Harper as another victim, but now, in the light of this new development, they wondered if she might've actually been the culprit.

** §§§**

During her days in the Secret Service Susan Quinn had learned to be observant, the skill being crucial in her former job. Now she used it mostly to figure out early who was about to cause trouble in the bar, but today she had something, or rather someone, far more interesting to watch and study than a bunch of drunkards.

Special Agent Gibbs, as he'd introduced himself, or the blue-eyed-bastard-ex-marine, as she privately liked to call him, was nothing like what she had expected, her image of him being based on her friend's general taste in men, not an actual description. In fact, when she first noticed him at the bar the previous night, she didn't recognize him as Kate's infamous ex-boyfriend.

He was much older than she would've thought, in his early fifties rather than thirties, but still quite fit for a man his age, with salt and pepper hair and vibrant blue eyes. Albeit far from Kate's usual type, he was quite an attractive specimen of the male population and he definitely had that 'something'.

His personality was much harder to sum up.

Susan had spoken to Gibbs for the first and only time just ten minutes before, when he came by the counter to place his order and ask her some questions about Frank Harper and his daughter, and he struck her as sharp, inquisitive and impatient. Her husband, Terry, who came to know Gibbs the night before, described him as private but friendly, and simply a 'cool guy for being a Fed'. Kate always spoke of Gibbs in terms like caring, gentle, respectful and sweet, just to eventually define him a deceitful bastard. In the end Susan only concluded that the man was nothing short of complex.

As she kept on spying on him from her strategic position behind the counter, the former Secret Service agent noticed his interaction with Kate and squinted her eyes incredulously. After what he did to the poor girl, the bastard had the cheek to openly flirt with her!

Oh no, you're not gonna get away with this, Susan thought deviously. She wasn't sure how was she going to do it yet, but she would get back at Gibbs for trying to play her best friend.

**§§§**

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><p>AN: Favs, follows and reviews are very appreciated. Especially the reviews. They feed my muse ;-P

Hope U enjoyed the daydream. I thought it wouldn't hurt to incorporate a couple kibbs moments from before the big break-up.

Any ideas on who may be the killer yet? Or perhaps on how Susan is going to execute her payback?


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: NCIS and all things related are property of CBS and D. P. Bellisario**

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><p>AN: Enjoy the new chap! I will anticipate that the story will be 8 chapters long, which means we're pretty much halfway through.

I would really, really like a review! Faves and follows are very appreciated too!

Thank U for reading!

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><p><strong>BLOODLINES<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

After lunch the two NCIS Agents decided to go to talk to Benny and Scott Tucker.

Currently their prime suspect was Julie Harper, but the Tucks, as they called them in town, were worth checking out, mostly because they both had a very strong potential motive to kill William Dunn.

Before going, Gibbs asked for a cup of coffee for takeout. Waiting for his drink and for McGee, who went to the toilets, he sat in their booth, and with his chin propped on his hand he watched Kate standing by the counter and chatting with Susan, asking himself, if things between them could ever be the same again.

"Your coffee sir." A young, blonde waitress brought him back from his reverie, arriving with his cup.

He thanked the girl for the drink, and as she walked away, he took a long swig of the liquid and immediately spat it all back into the cup.

"What the...?!" he mumbled, suspiciously eyeing the familiar white paper cup that contained not his beloved super-strong coffee but some nauseatingly sweet black goo.

Bewildered, he looked towards the counter and saw Kate staring at him wide-eyed and Susan fighting hard to contain her laughter.

"What did you do?" Kate spat turning back to Susan.

"I know he drinks his coffee bitter, hehe, so I put like a dozen cubes, hehehe, of sugar in it," the blonde laughed hysterically.

"Sugar?" Kate glanced at Gibbs perplexed. From his reaction one would think it was ten spoonfuls of salt!

"Would you rather I used rat poison?" Susan grinned.

"Sus, that was really mean." Kate gave her a reprimanding look. "Didn't I tell you how seriously Gibbs takes his coffee?"

"I pulled a prank on him, so what?" Susan defended herself. "He deserved it for what he did to you, and besides, it's JUST SUGAR! It's not like it's gonna kill him!"

"With Gibbs you can never know," Kate joked and slipping behind the counter she set the coffee machine on.

She prepared a fresh cup of coffee, and ignoring Susan's disapproving looks, she went to give it to Gibbs. When she offered him the drink he didn't take it right away, just looked up at her warily.

"It's not spiked," she told him, her lips twitching.

Gibbs just kept on staring at her, distrustful like a child whom she'd tricked into eating his broccoli by telling him they tasted like chocolate.

"Gibbs, have I ever fed you anything you wouldn't like?

"Once you had me eat a burger with toffee. It was disgusting."

"It was tofu," she corrected.

"Toffee, tofu, same thing!"

"Okay, fine, I had you eat a tofu burger once," she stressed on the last word, "but you know I'd never, ever mess up with your coffee, right?"

"She would." Gibbs cocked his head towards Susan.

"I made the coffee myself this time," Kate assured him. "She didn't even touch the machine."

Reluctantly, Gibbs took the cup and peeked inside before taking a cautious sip.

"I need to tell Sus about rule #23 before you end up killing each other," Kate snickered, watching Gibbs drink some more with visible gusto.

"Have I ever told you, Kate, that you make very good coffee?" he asked, licking his lips.

"I learned from a Marine who was very fixated on the subject," she replied, making Gibbs chuckle.

He set the cup on the table and just stared into Kate's eyes, sparkling with humor, thinking how much he'd been missing this, how much he'd been missing her.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed McGee coming back and figured it was time for him to go. There is just one last thing he wanted to do.

"Kate," he called her attention, "wanna grab a drink with me tonight?"

"Gibbs..." she warned.

"I owe you one." He shook the half-empty coffee cup.

"That's on the house."

"Come on Kate!" he insisted. "I can bring McGee with me, so you know it's not a date."

"I'll think about it," Kate finally said.

They both got up from their seats and before Kate could protest, Gibbs stepped up to her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"See you tonight," he said, backing away.

Feeling someone's eyes on him, he looked around and saw that Carol Dunn had taken Susan's place behind the counter, and was now watching them with an unusual mix of annoyance and curiosity.

**§§§**

Arriving to the Tuckers' house, Gibbs and McGee were first greeted by their dog. The mid-sized, brown mutt started barking and growling at them before they even got out of the car.

"I wouldn't do it, if I were you boss," McGee warned when Gibbs approached the raging animal. "He could have rabies!"

Gibbs ignored the younger agent, and kneeling down he scratched the dog's scruffy head and back, and the mongrel licked his hands, wiggling his tail happily.

"One day you have to tell me how do you do it boss," McGee sounded amazed.

"Easy," Gibbs said petting the dog some more. "They can sense fear."

That explains it all, McGee thought. He was terrified of dogs, especially the big ones. Gibbs, on the other hand, appeared to like them a lot, if the big smile on his face was any indication.

"Hey! Whatcha doin' to my dog!" An older balding man came out of the house. He was wearing gym slacks and a dirty white undershirt, and in his right hand he was holding an open bottle of beer.

"Benny Tucker?" Gibbs asked getting up to his feet.

"Yeah," the man replied, seizing Gibbs from head to toe. "Aren't you the Washington guy shacking up with Carol?"

Gibbs squinted his eyes and clenched his jaw. Did he just say what he thought he said?!

"Small town boss, small town." McGee patted him on the shoulder, trying hard not to laugh.

"I heard you're in it as well," Old Tuck addressed McGee, who immediately lost his humor. "They say our Foxy's into threesomes now."

Annoyed beyond belief, Gibbs reached into his pocket for his badge and ID and showed them to Tucker, making the usual introduction.

"Feds?!" Tucker's eyes popped wide.

"Yeah, and just so you know, none of us is sleeping with Carol Dunn."

"That's not what they say..." the man grumbled, smirking.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions Mr. Tucker," McGee took over. "Do you mind if we come in?"

"If you must." Tucker grimaced but eventually let them inside.

"You guys want a beer?" he asked when they took a seat in the living room.

They both declined and Tucker shrugged his shoulders and sprawled himself on the couch in front of them. He seemed laid-back, Gibbs noted, observing Tucker's body language, way too laid-back for a man guilty of murder who'd just been visited by Federal Agents.

"Mr. Tucker, we heard that your son is about to inherit Frank Harper's logging company," he prompted the man to speak.

"He is," Tucker nodded and took a swig of his beer. "Frank's always been of the idea that Scott'd be the right person to take over the business. At first he meant for him to marry his daughter, but when she ran off with that bloody sailor he figured he'd leave the company to Scott in his will."

"Did you ever discuss that as a possibility before Julie ran off? You know, in case she simply refused to marry Scott?" McGee inquired.

"No, it came up only recently, a month or so ago," Tucker told him. "I guess Frankie finally lost hope Julie would ever be found."

"What can you tell us about your son's relationship with her?" This time it was Gibbs who asked the question.

"Why don't you ask him about it?" Tucker said glancing towards the front door. "Hey Scotty!" he yelled at a younger man, who just came inside the house.

"What?" Scott Tucker yelled back. He was a fairly handsome, but rather untidy looking man of about thirty, with clear blue eyes, shaggy brown hair and a two day stubble.

"These guys wanna know if you liked Julie Harper," his father told him.

"What's that to you?" Scott barked.

"They're Feds."

"Ohoho!" the young man laughed. "So now Foxy's doing Feds, huh?"

"What's that to you?" Gibbs mimicked his previous response. He was really getting fed up with this stupid rumor.

"Easy man!" The younger Tuck rose his hands in mock surrender. "She can fuck whoever she wants, I don't give a damn!"

"We slept AT Carol's house, not WITH her," McGee tried to explain, feeling his cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"Okay, okay, whatever."

"Now, will you finally tell us about your relationship with Julie Harper?" Gibbs tried getting the conversation back on track.

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Just answer their damn question, so they can get the fuck off!" Old Tuck huffed at his son.

"We believe Julie Harper may be involved in a case we're currently working on," Gibbs told Scott.

"You found her?" the younger man asked with curiosity, but nothing more than that.

"No," Gibbs replied, "but we found her friend, Petty Officer William Dunn."

"Where?"

"At the bottom of a lake in Norfolk."

"Dunn's dead?!" Scott appeared genuinely surprised.

Gibbs nodded affirmatively.

"Wait, wait, wait," the younger Tuck seemed to have just realized something. "You think I killed him? For Julie?"

"For the moment we are just trying to gather some information."

"Don't get me wrong, me and Dunn were never buds, but I wouldn't have killed him, and sure not for some stupid little bitch!"

"How about for a logging company?"

Both Tuckers burst into laughter.

"You don't know old Frank like we do," Benny Tucker said amused. "He would've never let his company end up in Dunn's hands. He hated the bloody sailor! If Julie had married him, he would've cut her off from the will."

"We'd talk Frank into leaving the company to me, and I wouldn't even have to deal with that pain in the ass of his daughter," Scott added.

"You see yourselves that Dunn was of more use to us alive rather than dead."

Both agents had to admit that the Tuckers' reasoning was flawless. Why bother killing Dunn, if they could just sit back and watch him run off with Julie. The outcome would've been exactly the same.

"One last question, where were you between Friday, March 5th and Sunday, March 7th?" Gibbs asked just for the sake of being thorough.

"That'd be pretty much at the time when Julie went missing right?" Old Tuck asked.

"Yes, she was officially reported missing on Saturday, March 6th."

"Friday I was at work," Scott informed them. "Go check with Harper."

"We already did," McGee said, remembering seeing his signature on the time card. "What about you Mr. Tucker?" he addressed the older man.

"I was at home and then I went to the bar and stayed until late. Ask Carol, she'll remember cause that night I accidentally spilled beer all over her. She looked like she was in a wet T-shirt contest hehehe." Benny Tucker licked his lips at the memory.

"Then from Saturday to Monday we've been helping search for Julie."

"Yeah, we were with the party that went up the woods."

"That'd be all." Gibbs got up. "Thank you for your cooperation."

"No problem!"

"Watch out for Foxy!"

Gibbs sent them one last glare before he left, McGee following right behind him.

**§§§**

Back at Carol's, Gibbs made himself some strong coffee, and setting their laptop on the kitchen table, he called NCIS, more precisely the forensics lab.

"Hey Abs?" he called out to his favorite gothic lab rat, who was nowhere to be seen.

"Giiiiibs!" A familiar figure jumped into the webcam view. "I've missed you! It's so quiet down here."

"We'll be back soon Abs."

"Yesterday you said you were coming back today." She put up a pout.

"I know but things got a bit... complicated," Gibbs tried to explain.

"I know," Abby cried. "I heard you met Kate with her new boyfriend."

"I was talking about the case."

"Gibbs, I just want you to know that I will always love you no matter what, and I will never, ever leave you like she did!" Abby declared firmly.

"I know Abs and I love you too," Gibbs replied with a smile. "Now make my day and tell me you've got something for me."

"Actually, I do," Abby instantly cheered up. "Remember that piece of paper-"

"Boss!" McGee strode into the room interrupting the lab rat. "Both Tuckers' alibis checked out. It couldn't have been them."

"Yeah, I figured that," Gibbs sighed tiredly. With their potential motive now officially in the trash neither of them made much of a suspect. "Abs, what were you saying about that piece of paper?"

"It turns out it's a receipt from a bar."

"It could be from the same bar where Dunn had last been seen," McGee noted.

"Can you get to the name and address?" Gibbs asked hopefully.

"I already have," the goth announced proudly. "It's a small bar in Norfolk, not far from the base, very popular among sailors."

"That's a great job Abs," the older agent praised her. "Make sure to tell DiNozzo. In Rota he found out Dunn had been to a bar with a red-haired woman on Friday evening but he didn't know which one. Thanks to you he won't have to check out all the bars in Norfolk."

"Do you know when Tony's coming back? I miss him too. And I'm starving for Caf-Pow!," Abby wailed. "With all of you gone there's no one here who'd get me one."

"Why don't you go get it yourself?" McGee suggested.

"I have," Abby said, "but it's not the same thing!"

"When we get back I owe you... say... five cups?" Gibbs offered.

"Ten!" the goth bargained.

"Deal." Gibbs laughed and cut the transmission.

He headed upstairs to get cleaned and changed, while McGee stayed in the kitchen to make himself a latte, or rather something vaguely resembling a latte.

"McGee?" a voice whispered and he bolted up startled, spilling some of his coffee. "Where's Gibbs?" Turning around the agent saw it was just Abby calling again.

"Upstairs," he said. "I think he went to take a shower."

"Good."

"Abby, is something wrong?"

"You tell me!" Abby demanded. "What's going on down there? Gibbs is acting as if he didn't care about meeting Kate in the slightest, but I know he's just doing what he always does, keeping it all to himself and letting it consume him from the inside and-"

"Abby, Gibbs is fine," McGee assured her.

"Yeah, like he always is." Abby let out a snort. "Remember that time in March when he got shot and-"

"Seriously Abs, he's okay. I mean, with Kate being here and all," the agent said. "It's kind of strange, but they seem to be good."

"They're not looking daggers at each other or anything?"

"Quite the contrary. They act pretty much the same way they did back on the V-day killer case."

"This is weird," Abby mumbled looking mixed up. "I mean, it's good, but it's weird."

"Today at Quinn's the two of them were talking as if nothing had happened, and later on I even saw Gibbs kiss her on the cheek."

"And she was fine with it?"

"Well, she didn't smack him across the face for it."

"I feel confused."

"Yeah, me too."

"We need to find out why did they really break up," Abby decided. "That's the only way to get to the bottom of this."

**§§§**

Quinn's bar was packed with people, as usual on Friday nights, but the one person Gibbs went there for was nowhere to be seen.

He and McGee ordered a beer and went to sit in a free booth by the window. Not five minutes later Terry came by, inviting them to play eight-ball and they easily accepted.

During the game Gibbs kept on peering through the crowd in search of Kate, but minutes passed and she wasn't coming.

Finally, almost an hour later he spotted a familiar looking brunette entering the bar and walking over to the counter. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail revealing her slender neck and she was wearing a white blouse and a pair of close fitting blue jeans.

It was a warm night and for a moment Gibbs wondered whether she could've worn the pants on purpose, perhaps to point out that this was NOT a date, by choosing a casual, presumably non-sexy outfit. Well, if that was her intent then she failed miserably, because in his opinion she looked absolutely yummy, and especially in those jeans.

Leaving his stick and half-empty beer bottle on the pool table, he walked out to meet her. McGee was about to follow, but Terry stopped him, putting a hand over his shoulder.

"Give those two a moment Tim," he said with a twinkle in the eye. "Come on, let's play another round." Terry passed McGee the stick and set the balls.

Pushing through the crowd, Gibbs got halfway over to Kate, when suddenly he saw an unkept, shaggy-haired man jump up to her and smack her square across the backside.

"Ow!" Kate yelped, turning around to face a very tipsy Scott Tucker.

"Hey!" In a flash Gibbs jumped in front of her, shielding her from the aggressor.

"You got a problem pops?!" Tucker grumbled, lifting up his chin in a provocative gesture.

"I'm looking right at it," Gibbs replied through clenched teeth, barely holding back.

"The bitch was asking for it sticking her ass up like that!"

That was enough to make Gibbs snap.

Grabbing Tucker by the shirt, he smashed him hard against the counter. "You call her that again and I'll kick your ass so hard you won't be able to sit for a month, you get that?" he hissed menacingly, his voice so low that only Tucker could hear him.

The younger man didn't reply, only stared back at him, boiling with anger, and then, when Gibbs finally took a step back, letting go of him, he let out a raging roar and threw a punch his way.

Gibbs hadn't been in the Corps for nothing though. Raising his arm, he blocked the hit, and in a few quick motions he had Tucker down on the floor, his arms locked behind his back in an iron grip.

"That's enough!" Terry Quinn yelled. He and McGee ran over to the two man and got them separated and up on their feet.

"What the fuck Tucker!" he scoffed at the young man slapping him on the back of his head in an oddly Gibbs-like manner. "You pick up one more fight and you're out of my bar for the rest of your life!"

Tucker was about to protest, but a couple of his drinking buds came out of the ring of watchers, that had formed around the scene, grabbed him by the arms and pulled him away. He was still cursing back at both Gibbs and Terry, and even Kate, as they dragged him back to their booth in a far left corner.

Gibbs finally turned over to Kate who stood frozen behind his back, her cheeks red with embarrassment and her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Before he could say or do anything, she gave him a pained look and walked away. Without thinking much he followed her across the room and out of the bar.

"I must say I really have a hard time believing Jethro dumped her," Terry commented, looking at Gibbs's back disappearing behind the door. "I mean, come on! You can tell he's totally crazy about her."

"How do you know that he dumped her?" McGee asked, suddenly realizing that he may just have found a way to get a lead on their private investigation of Kate and Gibbs's mysterious break-up.

"I got to overhear some conversation between Kate and my Sus. Accidentally of course," Terry said and McGee fought to suppress a winning grin.

From what he could tell, Terry was a no-nonsense man, very much like Gibbs, only way more upbeat, so he could be considered a reliable source of information and he sure as hell knew some.

**§§§**

"Kate, wait!" Gibbs called running up to her. "Where are you going?!"

"Home," she replied in a brittle voice.

"I'm not letting you go alone," he said firmly and was glad that she didn't try to shoo him.

They walked in silence for a moment until Kate spoke up again:

"You know, this isn't exactly how I envisioned this evening." There was a small hint of sadness audible in her voice.

"I guess," Gibbs agreed. He considered wrapping an arm around her but eventually gave up on the idea, at least for now.

Instead he asked, "So... How did you, uhm, envision this evening?"

"I don't know." Kate shrugged her shoulders. "I imagined we'd just have a drink, talk a bit. I would've never thought I'd end up getting smacked."

"That bastard hurt you much?" He wished he could cut both his hands off for touching his Kate.

"It's not about the physical pain Gibbs," she said, her eyes low, "it's about the humiliation. He made me feel like... like..." her voice broke for a moment, "like some cheap whore!" She felt the shameful blush creep up her cheeks again and kept her head down so Gibbs wouldn't notice.

Suddenly there was a pair of strong arms pulling her into a warm, comforting embrace and a voice whispered softly in her ear:

"Kate, you are a smart, successful and respectable woman. Don't let a bunch of drunk idiots get you down. They're not worth it."

"Thank you," she mumbled into his chest and then pulled away, feeling much better already. Gibbs wasn't a particularly loquacious kind of person, but the few words he spoke, were always the right ones.

They walked further forward and Gibbs picked up the previous topic again, intent on distracting Kate from thinking about what happened.

"So, other than drinking and talking, did you have anything else in mind for tonight?" he asked.

"Did you?" Kate quirked a brow at him.

"We could've..." he didn't know what do say. He hadn't really thought about it.

"Danced?" Kate proposed.

"I don't dance."

"Really? How did you make it through three weddings?"

"I said I didn't dance, not that I couldn't."

"Of course..." She rolled her eyes at him. She did that often, but he didn't really mind, because in her case it wasn't as much a gesture of annoyance as if was of amusement.

"How about karaoke?" Gibbs came up with another idea.

"You don't dance, but you sing?"

"I meant for you to sing and for me to just listen."

"I should've expected that!"

"I know you can. I once walked on you in the shower and you were singing that song-"

"Outrageous!"

"Oh come on! I was in a rush and it was taking you ages-"

"No, stupid!" she chuckled. "That's the title of that song: 'Outrageous'."

"A very fitting title, is you ask me."

They both laughed for a moment, then Gibbs asked, "Can you play eight-ball?"

"Yes, sort of," she said, "but I haven't played in years so I may need a bit of assistance."

"Don't worry." He rubbed her shoulder gently. "I'll teach you all the rules, show you how to set the balls and hold the stick..."

She tried glaring at him but the effect was ruined by the smile pushing on her lips.

"Any other brilliant ideas Agent Gibbs?" The way she pronounced those last two words sent a wave of heat down Gibbs's gut.

"A couple," he said, his voice husky.

"Really? Like what?" she asked.

Gibbs was just opening his mouth to reply, when suddenly he noticed some movement outside the lone house on the opposite side of the road. Instinctively he grabbed Kate's arm and dragged her off the road and into a corn field, where surrounded by the tall leafy stalks they would be shielded from the peering eyes of whoever lived in the house across the street.

"I thought that perhaps..." he began, wrapping an arm around Kate's waist and pulling her closer, "if you let me..." his free hand travelled up to her neck, "I could just hold you like this for a while," he finished, looking at her expectantly.

"Gibbs, I... I..." she murmured, eyes down. Gibbs's fingers mindlessly playing with some stray hair, that had escaped from her ponytail, were distracting her to the point of making her forget what she was about to say.

A little voice in her mind screamed for her to get out of there before it was too late, but it was muted by the pounding sound of her accelerated heartbeat. Ignoring all sense, she brought her hands to Gibbs's hips, then moved them slowly across his sides up to his shoulder blades, unraveling in the feel of his body that she'd been missing so badly.

Gibbs large paw went to cup Kate's face, bringing it upwards, for their eyes to meet. Her gaze was clouded, but he could still see a bit of uncertainty, even a small trace of fear under the heavy layer of reignited passion.

"Katie," he whispered bringing their faces closer, "I didn't really mean any of those things I said to you."

"Then why did you say them?" she begged for an answer.

Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead agains hers. "It's complicated," he sighed.

Kate opened her mouth about to demand a proper explanation, but Gibbs's thumb brushing over her lips successfully coaxed her into silence.

Flattening his palm over her back he pushed her deeper into his chest, then brushed his fingers down her spine, growling in satisfaction when she shivered under his touch. His hand travelled further down, massaging her lower back through the layer of denim, while the other one moved from her face back to her neck, steadying her head in place, as he tauntingly brushed his lips against hers.

"Who's there?!" a voice yelled in the dark and Kate jerked away, startled.

"Oh shit!" she gasped turning her head in the direction of the voice. "This must be Johnny Wacko's field!"

"So?" he ignored her panicked tone, absorbed in exploring her neck.

She pulled him by the shirt, forcing him to face her. "Gibbs, you don't get it," she whispered naggingly. "Johnny Wacko protects his corn like you do you coffee!"

"SHOW YOURSELF YOU SCUM!" Johnny raged, his voice closer.

"Come on!" Kate dragged Gibbs deeper into the field.

"Kate, it's just some farmer," he groused.

Suddenly a loud bang cut the night air, scaring some birds off the nearby trees.

Correction, Gibbs thought, taken aback, it's a farmer with a shotgun and willing to use it!

At the sound of another shot, Kate and Gibbs broke into a wild run.

They sped through the endless rows of corn stalks followed by Johnny Wacko's furious yells interchanged with gunshots, until they came out of the field on the opposite side.

Panting, they threw themselves on the grass, their muscles throbbing and their hearts racing.

"Perhaps I should..." Gibbs paused for air, "add this Johnny..." he drew another shallow breath, "to my list of suspects."

"He is a killer type!" Kate joked and they both burst into laughter.

Without warning Gibbs's lips were on hers in a full-on kiss, his body pinning her down to the grass floor. High on adrenaline she kissed him back hungrily, her hands fisting into his soft silver hair.

So delicious, Gibbs thought, moving his lips from Kate's mouth to her neck, his second favorite part of female anatomy. He gently bit, sucked and kissed the tender skin, his hands roaming all over her small form.

Reaching her thigh, he pulled her leg up to his waist and ground his lower body hard into hers, making her gasp at the sensation. He repeated the motion again and again, and she wriggled beneath him, digging her nails into his back and crying out in pleasure.

"Gibbs, no!" she suddenly protested, trying to push him off her. "I can't do this!"

"Yes you can," he mumbled into her neck.

"NO!" she shoved him off full force.

Sprawled on the grass, he just stared at her, baffled.

"I can't do this Gibbs." She shook her head. "I can't let you in, just so you could walk on me in a month or two again."

"I won't Kate," he assured, "not this time!"

"I'm not going down that road again. It hurt bad enough the first time around." She jumped to her feet and ran across the fields towards the road.

**§§§**


	5. Chapter 5

**Discalimer: NCIS is property of CBS and Bellisario.**

**Huge thanks to aconline for the beta read! **

* * *

><p><strong>BLOODLINES<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

_Saturday, August 28th 2004_

Mindfull of the previous morning's awkward breakfast experience, Gibbs got up sometime around five, showered, dressed, snuck into the kitchen to get himself some coffee, then climbed back upstairs as quietly as possible and hid in his room.

Laying on the bed, mug in hand, eyes fixed into blank space, he tried to wrap his mind around the case, but his thoughts kept on drifting towards Kate.

Focus Jethro, he scolded himself. Who killed Petty Officer Dunn? And why?

With Frank Harper and both Tuckers officially off the hook, there were three possibilities left.

Option number one: Dunn's death was the result of a bar fight gone wrong, and it had nothing to do with either his work in the Navy, or his private life. It was just an accident but in a moment of panic, they might have decided to hide the body by tossing it into the lake.

This scenario seemed a bit far-fetched, but it wasn't impossible. Since it was DiNozzo's idea, it would be his job to check it out.

Option number two: Dunn was killed by Julie Harper. At the beginning it seemed unlikely, but the more he thought about it the more probable it sounded.

The red hair found stuck in Dunn's sole suggested Julie's presence at the crime scene, there were witnesses who saw the sailor argue with a girl that matched her description shortly before his death, and he could think up a potential motive too.

The two were being depicted as a couple of star struck lovers, but since Tony told him that Dunn never referred to Julie as his girlfriend, he had been wondering if the attraction might have been one-sided. In that case, Julie might have gone to Norfolk to finally confront Dunn about her feelings and when he openly rejected her, she might have killed him in a moment of rage. Then she might have disposed of the body and fled, perhaps even out of the country, in an attempt to avoid being pressed with murder charges.

Finally there was option number three: Julie's presumable involvement was purely coincidental, Dunn's murder was actually related to his sister, Carol, and the man behind it was her ex-boyfriend, Thomas Wells.

In spite of all the evidence pointing towards Julie, his gut told him this was the right lead to follow. It had been doing so from the beginning, but so far he'd been deliberately ignoring it. Every time it recoiled when he came into contact with Carol, he'd dismiss it by telling himself it was because she reminded him of his exes, the second one in particular. When it churned in the presence of Tom Wells he'd taken it for a pang of jealousy.

Truth be told, he'd rather his gut was wrong for once. He didn't even want to think that his Kate may have been spending time alone with a murderer.

Kate... He couldn't get her off his mind.

Last night had been such a disaster, starting from the situation at the bar, through Kate's attempted escape, to their cold goodbye on the Quinns' porch.

There were a couple of great moments too, his favorite being the one when they kissed, rolling in the grass like a couple of teens in heat, and just when he was starting to believe things between them could get back to the way they used to be, she broke their momentum by shoving him off and making a wild run for it.

He'd followed after her and insisted on walking her home, but didn't dare to make any further attempts at getting physical with her. Perhaps he shouldn't have done it in the first place? Perhaps he should've talked to her first? But then again, didn't actions speak louder than words?

Yes, they did, he thought grimly, but they couldn't say everything.

**§§§**

Tony DiNozzo strode into a small bar in Norfolk, a million dollar smile plastered on his face. Despite a slight jet-lag, he was in an excellent mood.

Last night with Paula was simply fantastic. They even pulled out the famous number six of GSM's '_sex positions you have to try before you turn forty'_ list. As if that alone wasn't enough, when he arrived in DC, Abby called in to inform him she'd gotten the name and address of the place where Dunn was most likely killed, thus saving him from checking out every bar in town.

Arriving at the place, there was another pleasant surprise awaiting for him. The bartender wasn't an old guy with a beer belly and a mustache, as he had expected, but a young and very attractive brunette.

Must be my lucky day, he thought, walking over to the counter.

"We're closed until 5 p.m.," the bartender told him, lifting up her eyes from some glasses she was busy polishing , "but if you insist I could pour you a shot," she added on second thought, taking in his appearance.

"I'd love to, but I'm on the clock," Tony said with a smile, flashing her his ID. "Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS."

"NCIS?" The girl squinted her eyes. "Must be Navy cops or something of the kind."

"Beautiful and smart!"

The girl flushed slightly at the compliment. "Doesn't take a genius to figure that out," she said, "since most of our customers are sailors."

"I'd like to ask you about one of them." Tony pulled out a picture of William Dunn and showed it to the girl. "Do you remember seeing him here on Friday, March 5th, 2004?" he asked.

The bartender gave him an incredulous look. "Dozens of sailors come here almost every night and they all look the same: same neat cuts, same clean faces, same outfits. They're impossible to tell apart, like penguins!" she ranted. "I couldn't tell you if I saw him here yesterday, let alone five months ago!"

"How about a redhead?" Tony decided to change tactics. "Do you remember seeing a sailor with a redhead that night?"

The bartender thought about it for a long moment and finally replied, "I'm not sure if it was exactly on the 5th, but I did see a couple like that somewhere around that time. I remembered them because I wished I had the girl's hair."

Girls! Always envious of one another, Tony thought, amused. Aloud he said, "I think your hair is very beautiful, err..." he suddenly realized he didn't know her name.

"Angela," the bartender supplied. "Thank you." She flashed him a flirtatious smile and Tony made a mental note to ask for her number later on.

"That redhead," he got back to business, "was it her?" He showed Angela another photo, this time one of Julie Harper.

"Could've been," Angela seemed undecided, "but I wouldn't bet my life on it."

"Do you remember anything else about that couple?" Tony inquired further.

"The girl was being very... " she paused to find the right word, "outgoing," she finally said. "The man seemed to mind it. Later I saw the two of them fight and then they left through the back."

If Tony had any doubts before, he now knew for sure this was the right place. That couple must have been Dunn and Julie. The description matched.

"Could you show me to the back?" he requested.

"Yeah, sure." Angela walked across the bar and waved at the Special Agent to follow.

She led Tony to an ominous metal door that opened on a small, secluded area behind the bar. Descending the concrete steps, he took a look around and his trained investigator's eyes immediately noticed some dark stains on the concrete, near a couple of dumpsters by the wall.

"I'll be right back!" he exclaimed excitedly and ran to his car to retrieve a digital camera and an evidence kit he'd brought with him.

"Is something wrong, Agent DiNozzo?" the bartender asked him when he got back.

"_Au contraire_!" Tony cheered and took a picture of the girl. "Wow! You should consider modeling!" he commented, checking out the photo.

The girl giggled, visibly flattered.

Tony went to snap a photo of the stain, then he passed a test swab over it. "Blood," he noted when it rapidly turned red.

"I'm not surprised," commented the girl. "We've been having a lot of fights down here. That's why we had a camera installed."

"Camera?" Tony perked up and the bartender pointed to a small device hanging high on the brick wall. "Tell me you have the recordings from March 5th!" he begged.

"I'll check with the manager," Angela replied. "We override the tapes every thirty days but we keep some of them archived. If something interesting got caught on camera that night, there's a good chance we still have the recording."

Tony's grin grew even wider. This really had to be his lucky day!

**§§§**

Gibbs decided he'd go talk to Thomas Wells alone, convinced that, at this point in the investigation, his brilliant geek's time and skills would be better employed elsewhere.

"McGee," he turned to the young agent, "Julie Harper is our main suspect now. I wanna know exactly what happened to her."

"But boss, she's miss-" A glare cut McGee off. "I'll find her!" he corrected.

Gibbs nodded in approval. "People don't vanish into thin air McGee," he said knowingly. "Dead or alive, she's gotta be somewhere."

Leaving the room, he headed downstairs and straight for the door, but crossing the hall, he accidentally bumped into Carol.

"I'm so sorry Agent Gibbs," she murmured, sprawled all over his chest, sounding anything but apologetic. "I didn't mean to run into you like this."

I wouldn't bet my life on it, Gibbs thought, his gut clenching. He always liked outgoing women, but this one was beginning to give him the creeps. And what was the deal with the oversized mens T-shirt? Didn't she have anything else to wear? A pair of pants perhaps?

"Don't worry about it," he finally said, keeping his emotions at bay. "If you'll excuse me," he moved past her, "I have work to do."

Feeling Carol's eyes following his every move, he walked out of the door, got into his agency issued sedan and drove off.

Arriving at the Wells' property, he didn't waste time checking at the house first and headed straight for the service garage. He assumed that, at this hour, Tom'd probably be working, and in fact there he was, dressed in a dirty blue overall and rummaging under the hood of a familiar looking Volvo.

At the sound of a parking car, he stepped back from his job and turned around to check on the visitor.

"Gibbs?" he sounded surprised. "If you're looking for Kate, she isn't here."

"Actually I was looking for you," Gibbs said, walking over to him.

"Trouble with the car?" Tom pointed to the sedan.

Gibbs shook his head. "I'd like to talk to you about William Dunn." He showed Wells his badge and ID.

"Rumor says you found him drowned in a lake in Norfolk," the younger man commented matter-of-factly.

Gibbs just nodded 'yes'.

"I won't pretend I'm sorry for him," Wells said honestly. "It's common knowledge Dunn and I were anything but friends."

"Sworn enemies since childhood, they told me."

"That's a bit of an overstatement."

"Is it?"

"Dunn and I used to fight a lot when we were at school, but as we grew older and wiser we buried the hatchet," Wells explained. "We did it for Carol."

"What do you mean?" Gibbs inquired.

"A few years after William joined the Navy, Carol and I began seeing each other. Needless to say he wasn't happy when he found out about it," recounted the younger man. "Carol was the one who suffered the most because of the situation. She was torn between me and her brother. I loved her, and I didn't want to lose her, so when an opportunity presented itself, I reached out to Dunn. Eventually we both agreed we just wanted Carol to be happy and made a truce."

Wells sounded sincere but Gibbs couldn't shake off the feeling that something about his story didn't add up.

"Why... Why did you and Carol break-up?" he asked a bit hesitantly. He wasn't sure how it was important, but his instinct told him to pose that question.

Wells gave him a bemused look. "I wish I knew," he sighed. "We'd been dating for close to seven years, engaged for more than one, saving money for the wedding, planning our future together. Then, after Will went missing, everything went up in flames."

"How so?"

"Carol had changed. I'm telling you Gibbs, when she came back from Norfolk that day, she wasn't the same person anymore."

Those were the exact same words Terry Quinn had used. Coincidence?

"I blamed it on the pain of losing her brother," Wells continued, "and stayed at her side for better or for worse. Then, about a month or so later, she told me it was over. Just like that! When I demanded an explanation, she simply said she didn't want to marry me and gave me back the ring. I wanted her to keep it, but I think she might've sold it because she doesn't wear it anymore."

Carol must've had a reason to break her engagement, Gibbs thought, even if she didn't give it up. Could it be that she saw Wells kill her brother? Nah, if she did, she would've told the police, wouldn't she? Perhaps she only suspected him?

"Where were you between Friday, March 5th and Sunday, March 7th?" Gibbs asked the standard question, hoping to get some clarity.

"I didn't kill Dunn," Wells declared, on the defensive.

"Please, answer the question," Gibbs demanded, sensing what was about to come. If a suspect refused to give an alibi, it usually meant he didn't have one.

Wells exhaled deeply and said, "Carol was going to Norfolk for the weekend and I took the opportunity to go fishing. Stayed at my father's cabin up in the woods, got back on Monday afternoon."

"Was anyone with you?"

"No, I went alone."

"Did anyone see you going there?"

"I don't think so."

This wasn't good.

"Do you have that GPS thing in your car?" Gibbs went for his last resort.

Wells shook his head 'no'. Then, looking up at Gibbs, he said, "Listen, I know I don't have much of an alibi, but I swear I didn't kill Dunn! I never liked him much," he admitted, "but he was Carol's brother. I couldn't have killed him, if only because of her!"

"I think you could've killed him exactly because of her," Gibbs argued, unconvinced. "You and Dunn might've made a truce, but I bet he didn't leap for joy when you told him you wanted to marry his sister."

"No, he didn't, but he accepted it."

"Strange, Carol gave me the impression her brother was trying to talk her out of it to the very last."

"Don't believe everything she says," Wells snorted. "She's a fox. For all I know, she could've killed William herself and pointed to me to divert your attention." There was a tinge of resentment in the young man's voice.

"Do you seriously think she could've done it?"

"The Carol I used to know wouldn't harm a fly, but this new one seems capable of just about anything. And she was in Norfolk when Dunn was killed."

Point taken, Gibbs thought.

"What would be her motive?" he inquired further. He hadn't considered Carol as a potential suspect, and the idea intrigued him.

"Honestly, I have no idea!" Wells threw his hands up in the air. "Perhaps she just went mad?"

"Yeah, perhaps..." Gibbs murmured under his breath.

He wasn't satisfied about the outcome of this conversation. He'd meant to rule out a suspect, not add another one to the list.

**§§§**

Kate sat on the swing in the Quinns' backyard, chewing on one last piece of Susie's birthday cake. She knew it was bad for her teeth and would end up in an extra inch in her hips but she didn't really care. Today she just needed some sugar.

"Hey, whatcha doing here all alone?" Terry took a seat next to her. "Is something wrong?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"It's nothing," Kate muttered snuggling into his side. She'd loved Terry like a brother from the moment she met him, and she instinctively knew she could trust him.

"Thinking about last night, huh?"

Kate chuckled slightly. Sometimes she thought the man had some sort of sixth sense. "Uh-huh," she nodded.

"Tuck or Gibbs?" Terry dug deeper.

"Gibbs," she replied.

She couldn't care less about that brat, Scott Tucker. The incident at the bar had shaken her up but in all honesty, she'd already forgotten about it. All she had on her mind now was one silver-haired, blue-eyed Special Agent.

"It's probably none of my business," Terry said, "but I think you should give the man a second chance."

Kate looked up at him, dumbfounded. Was she imagining things or did Terry, of all people, just give her a love advice?

"He still loves you Kate," he added with conviction. "Last night, when you left,Tim told me he'd been moping around since the two of you broke-up."

Moping around? Gibbs? No way!

"Well, he didn't exactly use the word 'moping'," Terry clarified, noting Kate's doubtful expression. "He said he'd been keeping quiet about what happened, burying himself in work, drinking more coffee than usual and taking it out on a certain DiNozzo."

Yeah, that sounded more like Gibbs.

"Once, Tim told me, their ME, Ducky, heard him call your name in his sleep."

That was unexpected.

"And he's been keeping a picture of you in his desk and staring at it when he thinks no one is looking."

Would he do that if she really meant nothing to him?

"Gibbs may have made a mistake, and a big one too, but he recognizes it." Terry got up from the swing."Think about it Kate."

Terry headed back to the house leaving Kate even more confused than she'd been before.

**§§§**

"It's official Abs. Gibbs DID break-up with Kate," McGee announced.

When the Senior Agent had left, he'd called the lab to share his most recent findings with Abby.

"Last night I spoke to Terry-"

"Who's Terry?" the goth interrupted him.

"Just a guy. Kate's best friends with his wife," McGee quickly explained. "Anyway, Terry overheard some conversation between the two of them, and told me that Kate told Susan that Gibbs told her that he was leaving her because he'd fallen for another woman, presumably a redhead, and that she'd been just a meaningless fling."

"WHAT?" Abby exclaimed, disbelieving.

"I'm sure Kate wasn't lying," the agent said. "Terry told me she sounded totally devastated, so Gibbs must have really told her all those things."

Abby squinted her eyes and fell silent for a moment, thinking. Finally she said, "He must've made it all up."

"Yeah, but why?"

"Perhaps he couldn't tell her the real reason?"

"Which would be what?"

"I don't know, but it must've been a good one." Abby was ready to bet her Major Mass Spec that Gibbs wouldn't have left Kate unless it was a matter of life and death. Who knows, perhaps it was?

"Keep digging McGee!" she ordered.

"You sound just like Gibbs," McGee chuckled.

"By the way, where is he?"

"Went to talk to Tom Wells."

"By himself?!" Abby sounded panicked.

"Gibbs is gonna be fine," McGee assured her.

"I'm not worried for Gibbs," she snorted. "I'm worried for the other guy!"

McGee chuckled and said, "I trust the boss wouldn't put his hands on a suspect, even if they happened to be dating his ex."

"You should've gone with him, just in case."

"I couldn't," the agent defended himself. "He explicitly asked me me to stay and run a search on Julie Harper. He's expecting me locate her," he cried, exasperated.

"Typical Gibbs." Abby laughed, rolling her eyes. "Want some help?" she offered. She'd been getting bored with nothing new to process.

McGee flashed the goth a warm smile. "That'd be great," he said.

They got to work, typing furiously on their keyboards, looking into every possible lead they could think of. Time passed quickly and before they even knew it, Gibbs was back and demanding answers.

"Found anything?" he asked, striding into the room, a fresh mug of coffee in hand.

"Nothing boss," McGee replied, visibly downcast.

"I don't like the sound of that."

"He means it Gibbs," Abby cut in. "We checked everything there was to check and we got nothing! Nada! Null! Zip!"

"After March 5th, Julie Harper ceased to exist. No cellphone activity, no banking movements, parking tickets, flight or hotel reservations, no hits on the bolo... " McGee listed. "She got out of the house and just... vanished."

"People don't just vanish," Gibbs gruffed. He would've understood, if Julie was a terrorist, a spy, even an agent, but she was just an average small town girl! How was it possible that she'd disappeared off the face of the Earth?!

"Perhaps she was abducted by aliens?" Abby suggested, excited. "Have you guys seen any crop circles around there? Or some strange lights in the sky? "

"Abby..." The Senior Agent rolled his eyes.

"Aliens usually take people from corn fields! Are there any out there?"

"There is one I know of. The owner shoots at everyone who dares to get close to it," Gibbs said, remembering his encounter with Johnny Wacko last night. Joking, he added, "Who knows, perhaps he shot the poor girl too and buried her in his backyard?"

"Actually, it's not such a bad an idea boss."

"Ya think McGee?"

"So, how did the interview go?" the younger agent tried to change the subject.

"Bad."

"Boss, you didn't..?"

"I didn't do what?" Gibbs rose his brow.

"Nothing boss." McGee shook his head nervously.

"Hey Abs!" Tony entered the scene, his hands full with evidence. "Oh! Hi boss, hi Probie!" he cheered, taking notice of the two agents staring at him from the computer screen.

"What are you so jazzed about DiNozzo?"

"Just having a good day boss!"

"Are you now?" Gibbs quirked his brow. Why did he have the impression it had something to do with a certain blonde.

"I've been to Norfolk," Tony continued unfazed, "and I found our crime scene. It was in the back of that bar Abby told me about. By the way, thanks Abs!" He kissed her on the cheek and pulled a Caf-Pow! from behind his back.

Abby grabbed at the drink and went peering into the evidence box Tony had brought.

"What have we got here..." She pulled everything out on the table. "Blood samples, a hair clip with some hair in it, a piece of cloth, shards of brown glass," she listed.

"There's some blood on the big one," Tony added pointing to one of the bags. "Could be our killer's."

"Oh! Is this what I think it is?" Abby took out of the box a bagged and tagged videotape.

"Oh yeah," Tony nodded. "It's the surveillance tape from March 5th. Our killer might have gotten caught on camera."

"Nice job DiNozzo," Gibbs praised him.

"Thank boss!" the younger agent beamed with pride.

"Abby," Gibbs addressed the lab rat, "run all that evidence and call me as soon as you find something. Tony," he turned back to the agent, "check out Carol Dunn for me. See if you can track her movements between the 5th and the 8th."

"You think she could be involved?" McGee wondered. Carol was a bit strange in his opinion, but he'd never picture her as a cold blooded killer.

"It's just a hunch," Gibbs told him.

"What motive would she have to kill her brother?" Tony voiced out his own doubts.

"Apparently none," the Senior Agent replied.

"Then why-" Tony stopped mid-sentence. "On it boss!" he exclaimed and headed out of the lab.

He was waiting for the elevator to arrive when Abby came to join him. Gibbs must've cut off the connection as soon as he had left.

"Tony," the goth said in a conspiratory tone, "McGee found out what happened between Gibbs and Kate."

"He did?" Tony sounded impressed. "Atta boy!"

"Problem is, it doesn't make any sense."

"How so?"

Abby relayed to Tony everything McGee had told her along with some commentary.

In the meantime the elevator binged its arrival but the agent ignored it. "You're right Abs," he said. "Gibbs must have told Kate all this crap only to push her away from him."

"But why?"

"To protect her?"

"From what? Himself?" Abby wondered.

"Nah, he's over that phase," Tony dismissed the idea. "It has to be something else."

"What?"

"I don't know..."

It felt as if they were trying to do a jigsaw puzzle, and were missing the crucial piece.

**§§§**

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><p>AN: Phew! I sweated out this one. Dunno if it was plain writer's block or was it because it's mostly a transition chapter. Promise some fluff in the next installment!

Anyone dare a guess on who's the killer? Julie, Tom or Carol? Or perhaps even someone else?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: NCIS is property of CBS and D. P. Bellisario.

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><p>AN: Big thanks to aconline for the beta! And thanks everyone for the reviews, faves and follows! Means a lot to me!

I know the last chap was a bit dull, but this one should be more to UR liking. As promised, there's some fluff :D so please leave a comment!

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><p><strong>BLOODLINES<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Finding the primary crime scene was a major breakthrough. Now it was just a matter of matching the physical evidence to one of their suspects, and the case would be closed.

Hunch or no hunch, Julie Harper remained the most likely culprit, so the NCIS agents decided to look for a sample of her DNA first.

On their way to Harper's they stopped by the bar to grab something to eat on the go.

Walking in, Gibbs scanned the room in search of Kate. He'd expected her to be sitting at the counter, chatting with that backbiter Susan Quinn, but she was nowhere in sight. Instead, he noticed a familiar looking man in a worn out gray suit sitting in one of the booths.

He nudged McGee and cocked his head towards the booth. "Look who's here."

McGee just gave him an acknowledging nod and they both walked over to the man.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Gibbs asked politely.

Frank Harper looked up from his steak and fries. "By all means, have a seat."

They sat across the table and immediately a waitress appeared to take their order. Gibbs noticed it was the same blondie that had brought him the spiked coffee the other day, and his eyes involuntarily drifted towards the counter. Susan waved him 'hello', a devious grin on her lips, and for a moment Gibbs considered skipping lunch altogether but in the end the hunger won out and he asked for a burger and cup of coffee.

"Thought you'd be back in DC by now," Harper said when the waitress left.

"We had to postpone leaving," Gibbs replied.

"Any progress on the investigation?"

"Oh yeah," the agent nodded. "About that, we've been wondering, do you still have any of Julie's personal belongings?"

"I do," Harper admitted, squinting his eyes suspiciously. "Why?"

"We could use a sample of her DNA," Gibbs explained, trying to sound matter-of-fact.

"We think Julie might have been an eyewitness to Dunn's murder," McGee half-lied, noting Harper's nervousness. If the man realized they were onto his daughter, they could say 'bye, bye' to the evidence. "Besides, if we can place her at the crime scene, it will get us a step closer to finding her," he added, figuring an extra incentive couldn't hurt.

Under the table, Gibbs touched McGee's foot with his and the young agent felt his insides warm up in satisfaction. He knew it was Gibbs's way of telling him 'Good thinking McGee'."

"Well, in that case, take everything you need," Frank Harper gave them his consent.

In the meantime the waitress arrived with their food.

Propped on the counter, Susan Quinn was dying from laughter, watching Gibbs peek inside his burger with obvious mistrust.

"What are you doing boss?" McGee asked, looking at him curiously.

"Always check out the food served to you by your enemy McGee," Gibbs said, his tone serious. On second thought he added, "I should make it into a rule."

"You think someone would try to poison your food?" Frank Harper raised his brows, borderline amused by the idea.

"Poison? Nah!" Gibbs snickered. "But I'd expect, say, extra Tabasco sauce or something like that."

Alerted, McGee checked out his own sandwich and eventually hazarded a bite. It tasted just as good as it looked. Apparently Gibbs's was fine too, because he'd already gobbled half of it.

After lunch Harper called into the office to inform Libby, his secretary, that he'd be late, and drove straight home, the two NCIS agents following after him.

Arriving at the house, Harper led Gibbs and McGee to the upper floor.

"I've been meaning to give some of Julie's things away," he said, walking them down the hallway, "but I never found the time."

Gibbs gave the man a short glance. He wasn't fooled by his cold, detached demeanor. He knew that deep down he still hadn't lost hope his only daughter would come back home eventually.

"This is Julie's room." Harper pushed the door at the far end open, letting the agents inside.

The bedroom looked as if it belonged to a sixteen year old: light pink walls, white wooden furniture, pop stars posters on the walls and plushies on the bed.

Gibbs and McGee exchanged looks, both thinking the same thing. The girl was either very childish or she never cared to redecorate, perhaps because she'd been planning to escape since she was a teenager?

"Her bathroom's in there." Harper pointed to the door on the right.

"Okay, let's get to work," Gibbs commanded, and putting on some gloves, he and McGee began searching the room.

Quickly enough, they dug up those few items that could provide them with fingerprints and DNA material. Other than that they didn't come across anything particularly interesting.

Evidence bagged and tagged, they left Harper's house and headed to Tom Wells's service garage.

All they had on Wells was his ex-fianceé's disputable testimony and the fact he had no real alibi. It might've been enough to get a warrant for a blood sample but they thought it'd be simpler and faster to simply persuade Wells to willingly give one up. If he was as innocent as he claimed to be, it shouldn't be much of a problem. Unless, of course, he wasn't.

Arriving at the garage, they walked straight in and Gibbs felt his insides stir when, standing next to Wells, he saw Kate.

"I thought you might be back, Gibbs, but I didn't think it'd be so soon," Wells said by means of a greeting.

"There's been a development in the case," the agent replied, his eyes set on the brunette. She looked angry, he noted. Perhaps because they'd just interrupted her rendezvous with the handsome young mechanic?

"What kind of development?" Wells asked, his eyes drifting to Kate for a moment, then returning back to Gibbs.

"Another one of my agents found the primary crime scene and came across new evidence," Gibbs explained. "We'd like to have your blood sample for comparison."

"So you still suspect of me."

"I have no reason not to."

"What about Carol?" Wells wanted to know.

Gibbs smirked. "If it makes you feel any better," he said, "I suspect her as well."

"Then why don't you go ask her for a blood sample?"

"I will. But I'd like to have yours first."

"What if I refuse to give it up?"

"I'll think you're afraid it's going to match."

"Gibbs, can I talk to you for a second?" Kate asked all of a sudden, coming over to him.

"Now?" He rose a brow at her.

"Yes, now," she insisted.

"Kate," Gibbs lowered his voice, "in case you didn't notice, I'm in the middle of something here."

"That's exactly what I need to talk to you about." Kate was adamant.

Gibbs let out a defeated sigh. "McGee," he turned to the younger agent, "I'll be back in five."

"Okay boss," McGee gave him a small nod, "I've got this."

Gibbs nodded back and he and Kate walked outside.

"Are they always like that?" Wells asked McGee, motioning towards the door Gibbs and Kate had just disappeared behind.

"Pretty much," the agent answered. "I wasn't there when it happened, but my partner, Tony, told me they'd been bumping heads since the moment they met. He says it must be their idea of flirting."

Wells chuckled, but after a moment, sadness returned to his expression. "She still loves him," he said knowingly.

McGee detected a bitter note in the other man's voice. He tried asking, "Are you two...?"

"We're just friends," Wells shook his head, "but I care about Kate, and I'd rather she didn't get back with the bastard that cheated on her."

"Yeah, about that," McGee took Gibbs's defense, "he didn't really cheat on her. He just told her that he did."

"What?" Wells looked puzzled.

"We think he wanted to push Kate away," the younger man explained. "As for why, we're still working on it."

"You Washington people are weird," Tom snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, like you small town people are not!" McGee retorted. "I've been here for a day and a half and I've already been accused of being in a threesome with Carol and my own boss!"

"You're not?" Wells made a surprised face.

McGee stared daggers at him.

"Hey! I'm just kidding!" the man said, amused at the agent's outraged expression.

They burst into laugher and when they eventually calmed down McGee asked, his tone more serious, "So Tom, what about that blood sample?"

**§§§**

"What do you think you're doing taking out your frustrations on Tom?!" Kate hissed into Gibbs's face as soon as they got out of the garage.

He blinked a few times, dumbfound. "What?!"

"He told me you came in this morning, accusing him of killing Dunn!"

"Guess what sweet pea," Gibbs's voice lowered to a dangerous whisper, "I'm a Federal Agent and that's what we do. You'd know it, since you're one too."

"Tom has nothing to do with Dunn's murder," Kate argued.

"He has a potential motive and no alibi," he countered.

"Strange that you're onto him only now, right after I skipped out on you."

"Coincidence."

"You taught me yourself not to believe in them."

"Wells was on my list of suspects from the beginning," Gibbs said, slowly losing his patience. "I didn't come to question him earlier because I had other, stronger suspects and I was expecting to nail one of them for the murder."

Kate pursed her mouth, suddenly at a loss for arguments, and turning abruptly on her heel, she quickly walked away.

Why does she always have to run, Gibbs asked himself, rolling his eyes, annoyed . "Kate!" he called, going after her.

"Just leave me alone!" she called back angrily.

"Where the hell are you going?" he asked, when she headed straight to the backyard.

"Home!"

"The road's the other way!"

"I'm taking a shortcut!" She entered a narrow path running in between the fields stretching behind Wells's garage.

"Kate," Gibbs evened his step with her, "do you seriously think I'd put someone through a wringer without a good reason?" he asked, incredulous. Did she really have that low an opinion of him?

"I don't know what to think anymore" she sighed tiredly, increasing her pace.

Suddenly, Gibbs had the uncanny impression this wasn't just about the situation with Wells. There was more to her chaotic behavior.

"What's wrong Katie?" he asked, his tone softening.

"Nothing," she snapped.

"Come on, I can see there's something bothering you," Gibbs insisted.

Without a warning Kate turned around, and when Gibbs didn't stop in time, she ended up thumping into him full force. She quickly steadied herself and lifting her eyes to his, she said all in one breath, "Is it true that you keep a picture of me in your desk and stare at it?"

Gibbs felt dumbstruck for a moment. How the hell did she find out about the photo?! He would've sworn nobody knew about it!

Eventually, he exhaled deeply and said simply, "Yes."

"Why?" Kate asked. Never before had she felt as disoriented as she did now.

"Would you rather I kept your thong?" Gibbs joked, trying to evade answering the question.

Kate glared at him and he dropped his eyes to the floor, surrendering.

"I just..." he choked. God! He hated talking feelings! "I couldn't have the real deal so-"

"What do you mean 'couldn't have'?!" Kate interrupted him, furious. "I was always yours to take! It was YOU who didn't want ME!" she fumed, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "It was YOU who walked away with some redhead!"

If she keeps yelling like that, Gibbs thought, looking nervously around, by the end of the day everybody's gonna be talking about us.

Then he spotted what looked like a small barn nearby, and grabbing Kate by the arm, he rushed her inside the building, in spite of her continuing protests. Locking the door behind them with an iron bar, he turned around to face her.

"Kate," he began calmly, "there is no redhead. I told you last night."

He did? Confused, Kate quickly ran through her memories of the previous evening. She recalled him saying that he didn't really mean the things he'd told her back in May, but she'd assumed he meant just the part about never really caring about her.

Never assume, she reminded herself, double check. Rule number... three, was it?

"Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING I said in that coffee shop was a LIE," Gibbs assured her. "Do you finally get it or do I have to spell it out for you?"

Kate stared at him, her mind in turmoil. "Gibbs," she began gingerly, "if the redhead never existed, then why did you break up with me?"

"It's complica-"

"Stop saying it's complicated!" Kate had had enough of Gibbs's poor excuses.

"What do you want me to say?!"

"The truth!"

"I HAD to leave you for your own good!"

"WHY?!"

Pushed over the edge, Gibbs slammed his hand into the barn wall and yelled in Kate's face, "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"

Kate just stared a him, stunned. Back when they dated, Gibbs was never short on compliments and endearments, but he'd never told her that he loved her.

Placing his other hand on the wall, Gibbs leaned in closer and locked his eyes with hers. "I love you Kate," he repeated, his words full with awe, as if up until now he hadn't quite realized it himself.

Feeling her voice fail her, Kate just cupped Gibbs's face and pressed her lips hard to his. He stilled for a split second, baffled, before he greedily kissed her back, pinning her hard against the barn wall.

Kate's hands moved from his face to his neck, over his shoulders and chest, around his waist and down his lower back, frantically exploring every inch of him she could reach. She was so tired of holding back. She wanted him, and she wanted him now.

Tentatively, she stroked him through the thin fabric of his clothes and grinned, feeling him quickly harden under her touch.

Gibbs let out a throaty groan, and grabbing Kate by the buttocks, he lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Adjusting his hold, he carried her across the barn and laid them down on a bed of hay.

Rolling them over, Kate claimed his mouth again, taking in the texture of his tongue and the incredible softness of his lips. One by one, she undid the buttons of his shirt and pulled it open. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and pulling his head up, she spilled soft, sensual kisses down his neck and upper torso, lingering longer on those couple of particularly sensitive spots she'd once discovered.

Feeling his breath run shallow with arousal, Gibbs snuck his hands under the yellow sundress, stroking Kate's smooth thighs up to the perfect curve of her ass and she sighed in pleasure. Impatient, he forced her back down, and kissing her hungrily, he yanked at her panties, tearing the thin cotton straps holding her hips.

Kate wanted to scold him for being such a brute, but the words died out in her throat when she felt his callous fingers graze her tender folds. Her muscles fluttered in excitement, and she held her breath looking forward to more.

Carefully, Gibbs slid a couple of fingers inside her and rhythmically moved them in and out, making her squirm in delight. He retracted his hand and stoked all the way up to her clit and back down, spreading out the moisture. Turned on as he was, he still had enough sense left to make sure she was willing and ready.

Suddenly, Kate pushed him off her and onto his back, and straddling his legs, she kissed a trail all the way down from his neck to his navel. Transfixed, he watched her expertly unbuckle his belt and push his pants off his hips along with his boxers. Biting her lip, she took him in her hands and stroked up and down his shaft. When her tiny fingers teased that sensitive spot near the tip, his eyes rolled inside his skull and a low hiss escaped his throat. God! This woman was going to be the the death of him!

Unable to hold himself any longer, Gibbs took Kate by the hips, flipped them over, and buried himself inside her up to the hilt. Slowly, he began to rock his hips back and forth and Kate cried out in pleasure, the heels of her cowboy boots digging into the flesh of his lower back.

She was so soft, wet and warm, even better than he'd remembered. "You feel incredible Kate," he whispered in her ear, stroking her hair soothingly.

She smiled at the compliment, and wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him in for a tender kiss.

Suddenly, Gibbs found himself on the bottom again, and he had no idea how Kate had managed to turn them over without breaking their point of contact. Must be a Secret Service thing, he figured, looking at her with amazement.

Riding him gently, Kate extended her hand and traced the contour of his brow, eyes, nose and lips, thinking how gorgeous he looked, all ruffled, with hair sticking in weird directions and a blissful expression on his face. Smiling, she brushed her fingers down his chest, playing with the soft silver hair, and ran them down his stomach, before setting her hands oh his waist.

Gibbs's large paws gripped her hips and guided her movements, urging her to go deeper still, and she gasped out loud, feeling her vision go white, as she experienced a whole new dimension of pleasure.

He shifted their position again, sitting up, and tugged at the straps of her dress and bra, pulling them down to expose her breasts. Holding her with one arm for balance, he tilted her backwards a little and stroked his fingers across her cleavage, his lips following in the path. He took one soft mound into his mouth, flicking his tongue around the taunt nipple, and Kate arched her back, moaning quietly.

Laying her back down, Gibbs recaptured her lips again and spreading her legs wider, he thrust hard into her, over and over again.

Come baby, come, he pleaded in his mind, feeling his self-control grow weaker by the second and dreading the thought of leaving her unsatisfied.

Propping himself on one elbow, he snuck his other hand in between their bodies and brushed his thumb over her clit. It did the trick and within moments he felt her shatter, her inner muscles clenching uncontrollably around him. On the brim of his own release, he tried pulling out, but Kate held him in place, giving him a small nod, and he spilled himself inside her.

Spent, they disentangled from each other's embrace and laid down for a moment, panting heavily.

"Oh God, I can't believe we really did this," Kate spoke up, her voice raspy.

"Yeah, I didn't see it coming either," Gibbs agreed.

"No, I mean, I can't believe we just had wild sex in a BARN!" she straightened out and he chuckled. He'd had sex in a couple of unusual places in his life, but for a properly-raised, Catholic-school girl like his Katie, it must've been quite a transgression.

"Can you imagine what would happen if, say, DiNozzo found out about this?"

"He'd sure as hell drop dead in shock before he could tell anyone else."

They both broke into laughter, and getting up, they began putting their clothes back in order.

Kate picked up what remained of her underwear and looking at Gibbs with accusation, she said, "You owe me a pair of panties."

Coming over to her, Gibbs snatched the embarrassing garment and hid it in his pocket. Drawing Kate into his arms, he promised, "Back in DC, I'll buy you a matching set."

"I wear a small," she informed him.

"I know," he replied, quirking his brow, and she giggled.

They stood still entwined in each other's embrace for a moment, their eyes locked, a flustered blush still lingering on their cheeks, and then suddenly they were kissing again as if there was no tomorrow.

Eventually Gibbs broke away and panted, "McGee."

"What?" Kate asked distractedly, sensually brushing her fingers over his swollen lips.

"McGee's gotta be asking himself where the hell we are," Gibbs explained.

"Oh shoot!" Kate finally realized they'd left the younger agent with Wells, making it look like they'd be back in a minute. "We have to go!" she exclaimed, panicked, and headed for the door.

"Wait." Gibbs pulled her back. "You're not going anywhere looking like this, unless you want to be the main topic of gossip," he said and began picking pieces of hay out of her dark, long waves.

"Gibbs?"

"Hmm?"

"You never really answered my question," Kate pointed out.

"What question?" he mumbled, distracted working through her hair.

"Why exactly did you break-up with me?" she clarified.

Gibbs gave her a look that said, 'Does this look like the right moment to pick up certain topics?' and eventually he offered, "Meet me in an hour. I'll explain everything then."

**§§§**

"There you are McGee!" Gibbs exclaimed, when he finally found his agent sitting in the sedan and playing a game on his phone.

"Hey boss, Kate," McGee greeted and Gibbs couldn't help but notice a strange note to his tone.

"Something wrong McGee?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"No! Absolutely not!" the young agent hurried to deny, making Gibbs even more suspicious.

"Sitrep, McGee," he demanded, deciding to let it go for now.

"I convinced Tom to give us his blood sample. I also took his prints, just in case."

Gibbs gave him an impressed look. "Good job, McGee," he said.

In the end it wasn't really so hard, McGee thought. All he did was tell Wells that this wasn't just Gibbs's way of getting back at him for hitting on Kate, they really needed the evidence for the case. And if he really was innocent, the tests would only confirm it, so he had nothing to worry about.

"Okay, let's get out of here." Gibbs opened the car door, letting Kate in the back seat.

"Kate's coming with us?" McGee asked, curious.

"We're just giving her a lift home," Gibbs replied, getting behind the wheel.

"Sooo...," the younger man glanced at Kate and she shifted, blushing a little, painfully aware of wearing just a short dress and no underwear, "you two made up?"

"If we ever get married I promise to send you an invitation," Gibbs snorted, cutting off the conversation.

Dropping Kate off at home, Gibbs drove to Quinn's to get himself a fresh cup of coffee and check on Carol. Just as he'd expected, he found her behind the counter, working the evening shift.

"Hi guys," she greeted with a smile, sending the older agent a playful wink. "The usual?"

Gibbs nodded and Carol went to prepare a triple-strong black coffee for him, and a sugary sweet latte for McGee.

Watching her work, Gibbs asked himself if she could really be their culprit. She freaked him out sometimes with her excessively flirtatious manner but he'd suspect her of raping someone rather than killing them. Besides, everyone they asked was positive that Carol had a great relationship with her brother, so why in the world would she want him dead?

Paying for their drinks, they left and headed straight to Carol's, now empty, house.

"McGee," Gibbs said, climbing up the stairs, "pack your bags. You're going back to DC tonight."

"What about you boss?"

"I'll stay and keep an eye on our suspects."

Yeah, more like keep an eye on Kate, McGee thought, fighting hard not to snort.

Gibbs noticed the other agent's change of expression. "Problem McGee?" he asked.

"No! No!" McGee shook his head. "It's just that... we only have one car. Do I come to get you tomorrow? Or perhaps Tony could-"

"Kate has a car. I can come back with her."

"Oh, okay then."

Upstairs, Gibbs headed down the corridor to Carol's bathroom. Putting gloves on, he went in and searched the room, careful not to leave much, if any, disturbance.

In one of the cupboards next to the sink, he found a brush full of light red hair. He picked up a few and bagged and tagged them. "Have Abby run these as well," he told McGee.

"Sure thing boss," McGee nodded, grabbing the plastic evidence bag. "Do you really think Carol could've done it?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Gibbs admitted with a grimace, "but if it was her, she's not getting away with it."

McGee just smiled and went to his room to pack. Twenty minutes later he was in the car and rolling down Carol's driveway.

Sitting on the front steps, Gibbs waved the younger agent goodbye. In a few hours he would be in DC, Abs would run all the tests and with a little luck he could take the culprit down first thing the next morning.

**§§§**

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><p>AN: Phew! I'm sorry about being so slow but I've got some troubles at home which makes it hard for me to focus. Two more chaps to go! Gibbs and Kate might have made up but there's still some mysteries that need to be uncovered. ;-P


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: NCIS and all things related are property of CBS and Bellisario.**

**Thanks to aconline for the beta!**

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><p><strong>BLOODLINES<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

Sitting on the front steps and waiting for Kate to come pick him up, as agreed earlier, Gibbs was trying to think of a place where they could go to talk. So far, he was short on ideas.

Quinn's was absolutely off limits: too loud and too crowded. Not to mention that if they discussed anything private in there, by sundown it probably wouldn't be quite so private anymore.

It would be weird if Kate invited him to Susan's, or if he invited her to Carol's, since they both were guests themselves. Not to mention he wasn't taking a step into Susan's house, especially if the owner was at home. Carol wasn't around, but he was sure Kate'd feel bad at her place none the less, considering her dislike for the redhead.

The double beep of a car horn snapped him out of his contemplation. Lifting his eyes up, his jaw dropped when he saw Kate driving a gorgeous, red and white '67 Mustang.

Coming over, he patted the striped hood. "This baby's Susan's?" he asked.

"Terry's," Kate replied. "He let me drive it until my Volvo's fixed." Noting Gibbs's admiring expression, she commented, "Had no idea you liked vintage cars."

"Once, when I was a kid, I spent all my savings on a wreck of a Dodge Charger," Gibbs said, a tinge of nostalgia in his voice. "Was planning to rebuild it."

"Did you?" The man could build a boat from scratch, getting an old car back together must've been a piece of cake.

"I never got it running," Gibbs admitted with a sad smile.

"So, what happened to it?" she inquired further.

He shrugged his shoulder. "Don't know."

Kate sensed there was more to the car story, but decided not to dig. With Gibbs it was futile anyways. If he didn't feel like sharing, he wouldn't.

"Wanna drive?" she asked cheerfully, moving the conversation back onto safe ground.

"Really?" Gibbs's face instantly lit up.

"Yeah," she nodded, getting out of the car to take the passenger seat. "I'm sure Terry wouldn't mind. For some reason he seems to like you a lot. He's been driving Sus crazy going all 'Jethro this' and 'Jethro that'."

Gibbs laughed. "I can imagine that." He got into the driver's seat and when Kate put her seatbelt on, he hit the gas.

The car sped down the empty road and Kate immediately regretted letting Gibbs drive, but then she saw the look on his face. The man was grinning happily like a child on a rollercoaster.

Amazed, Kate suddenly forgot about her discomfort. "You really like driving, don't you?" she chuckled.

"Oh yeah," he nodded, his smile growing even wider.

"I know of a place we could go to," she offered.

Having no counterproposal, Gibbs easily agreed. "Okay, lead the way."

Following Kate's directions, he eventually pulled up in front of a large, square building. "High School?" He gave Kate a baffled look.

"I figured that, on a Saturday night, there wouldn't be a soul up here so we could at least have some privacy," she explained, getting out of the car.

The building was obviously locked, so Kate led them to the baseball field in the back.

"Can you play baseball?" Gibbs asked casually, as they sat on the old wooden bleachers.

Kate arched her brow at him. "Afraid of getting hit with a bat again?" she mocked, remembering the story Ducky had once told her, about Gibbs's ex number three's attempt at smashing his skull.

He looked at her warily and she laughed. "Relax, I wouldn't do it."

"Yeah," he snorted, "you'd go straight for the gun."

She grinned, "Exactly."

Chuckling, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in, and she snuck her arms around his waist. Lifting her head a little, she gave him a serious look and he knew the small talk was over. As much as he cringed at the thought, he'd have to spill his guts.

Resting his chin on top of Kate's head, he stared at the empty field for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts, and finally said, "I've been divorced three times but I was actually married four and..." He paused, a knot in his throat, making it difficult for him to speak.

Kate felt her heart sink. He was married?!

"... and I also had a daughter," Gibbs finished the sentence.

A daughter?! Holy Fourth of July! That explained everything! He must've split with the latest wife, but then she came back, pregnant and claiming the child was his, so he decided to take his responability and get back with her, and-

Wait! Did he say 'had', as in past tense?

"My first wife, Shannon, and my daugther, Kelly, both died in '91."

"Oh God," Kate whispered, putting a hand over her mouth.

"I was on a tour in Iraq, Operation Desert Storm," Gibbs continued. "Shannon was a witness to the murder of a Marine and identified the killer. An NIS agent was assigned to her for protection. He was driving their van when a sniper shot him. The car went off road and..." his voice broke.

"Gibbs, I'm so sorry," Kate said sincerely. She could only imagine how he must've felt when the tragedy struck him.

"I never told anyone about this, not even Ducky," he confessed, and Kate picked up on the underlying request to keep what she'd just learned to herself.

"Thank you for telling me," she murmured softly. In a way she felt flattered that he'd share something he'd never shared with anyone, not even his closest friend, albeit she had no idea how it had anything to do with their break up.

There was a long moment of silence until Gibbs spoke again, "That day, as we were having lunch, I got a feeling we were being watched. I noticed a motorbike had stopped at the lights and the rider was looking in our direction. When he lifted his visor up I recognized him. It was the terrorist that had broken into NCIS back in March."

Kate felt her insides constrict. She had never come in contact with the man but hated him nevertheless if only for shooting Gibbs.

"For some reason this terrorist had it in for me since the moment we met," Gibbs continued. "When I saw him that day, I realized that, if he knew about us, he might try to use you to get to me, so I put up an act to throw him off track and..." he paused looking for the right words, "and I let you think it was for real because I suspected that, if I'd just asked you to stay away from me for your own safety, you wouldn't have listened."

"Got that one right," Kate acknowledged. If she'd known the truth, she would've stayed and watched over his stubborn ass like a pitbull, ready to bite anyone who dared lay their hands on him

"Kate," Gibbs looked her in the eyes, "if that bastard knew how important you are to me, he wouldn't hesitate to kill you to cause me pain. I'd already lost two people I loved, I couldn't risk losing you too," he finished in a whisper and brushing her cheek with his fingers, he kissed the corner of her mouth.

Kate shifted, sitting astride the wooden plank, and when Gibbs followed her example, she moved closer, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulled him in for a deep, wet kiss.

Gibbs's restless hands roamed all over her body, and in spite of the layer of clothing protecting her from his direct touch, Kate shivered in excitement. Slowly, she ran her trembling fingers down his chest and below his waistline, brushing them over his crotch. He growled, and breaking away from her lips he buried his head in the crook of her neck, lavishing the tender flesh.

Kate sighed in pleasure and set one hand on his head, holding it in place, while the other clawed into his back, her legs closing tighter around him. This wonderful piece of a man was hers, she thought possessively, and no one was taking him away from her, whether it'd be a beautiful redhead or a vengeful terrorist.

Gently biting at his earlobe, she panted, "You do realize, Gibbs, that now that I know everything, I'm not leaving your side," she brushed her fingers over his lower lip, "and if any terrorists come anywhere near you, I'll personally shoot them."

He chuckled. That was so Kate! She may have been his baby girl, but she was a badass one!

"I haven't come across the damn bastard since May," he said, pulling her against his chest and running his fingers through her hair, "and I'm starting to believe he wasn't in DC for me."

"There was some terrorist activity around that time," Kate noted. "He may have been in town to run an op, and the fact that you saw him that day was just-"

"A coincidence?" Gibbs snorted.

"Yeah," Kate nodded. "Think about it, if the guy runs a terrorist cell around DC, before you met him personally, you may have run into him several times and never even realized it."

"You're probably right," he reluctantly agreed. Perhaps he was just being paranoid? Perhaps the bastard took the opportunity to taunt him, when it presented itself, but never really meant to go after him?

"Don't think about it now," Kate said, cupping Gibbs's cheek. "If that terrorist ever comes back, we'll deal with it then."

He gave her a small nod and wrapping his arms tighter around her, he claimed her mouth again.

They didn't know how much time had passed as they just sat on the bleachers, kissing and petting like a couple of teenagers on their first date, but it had gotten dark and the air became chilly.

Taking Gibbs's wrist, Kate checked his watch. It was close to nine p.m.

"I need to go now," she said.

"You're on a curfew?" he joked.

"No, I'm not," Kate laughed. "I told Tom I'd meet him at Quinn's around nine."

Gibbs squinted his eyes at her, displeased.

"He's supposed to give me my car back, because I need to leave tomorrow. Fornell will have my head if I don't show up at work on Monday," she explained. "And besides, I need to clear up a few things with him."

"I guess," Gibbs huffed.

"Tom and I are nothing more than friends," Kate made it clear, "but I don't want him to think of me as a liar and a hypocrite."

Gibbs nodded in understanding. "Can I come with you?" he asked.

Kate gave him an annoyed look and he rolled his eyes in defeat.

"Just... be careful, okay?" he requested.

"I will. Promise," she reassured him and kissed him one last time, before heading back to the car.

**§§§**

When Kate dropped him off at Carol's, Gibbs went to his room and switched the computer on. A minute later there was a small beep and then Abby's agitated voice blared from the speakers:

"Gibbs! I've been trying to call you for like an hour or two, don't know really, because I was getting so worried that it seemed like forever, and I couldn't reach you on your cell either, because there's no reception in that backwater town you're stuck in and-" She stopped her gibberish for a moment. "Is that lipstick on your collar?"

"Huh?" Gibbs pulled at his shirt to check it out, and in fact there was a small smudgy stain near the neckline, undoubtedly from Kate's cherry lip gloss. "Nah," he denied, "must be ketchup or something."

"Yeah right!" Abby didn't buy it by a long shot. "Someone's been naughty!"

"Who's been naughty?" Tony came into the lab. "Oh, hi boss! Is that... lipstick on your collar?"

"It's not lipstick," Gibbs repeated dryly.

Abby gave Tony a suggestive look. "He says it's ketchup."

"Of course," Tony giggled.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "What have you two got?" he asked in a business-like tone.

"The moment of Dunn's murder got caught on camera," Abby announced. "Well, not exactly his murder because he actually drowned later on but-"

"Abby!"

"Sorry, too much Caf-Pow!" she excused herself and got back on track. "I digitalized the recording, cut out the interesting part and sent it over so you could watch yourself."

Gibbs stared at the monitor expecting the video to just pop up on screen.

"She sent it by email boss," Tony said, noting the older agent's confused face.

"Oh," Gibbs just mumbled and checked his mail box. There were at least a hundred unread emails, containing everything from commercials to work related notices, among them the one from Abby tagged 'W. Dunn video'.

"You know how to open an attachment, right?" Abby asked.

Gibbs gave her a glare. "Don't push it Abs," he warned. He may not have been very good with computers, but he wasn't THAT dumb. Ten years or so ago he even went undercover as a computer technician and he didn't blow it.

Without any trouble he opened the file and a new window appeared on screen, playing the video.

For a few seconds everything was still, then a man came out of the bar back door, dragging along a young woman with long, floating hair. Gibbs couldn't make out their features, due to the low quality of the recording, but he figured they must've been Dunn and most likely Julie Harper.

The two got into a fight and Gibbs regretted there was no audio. He really wished he knew what they were arguing about.

The man seemed to be the accusing party and soon enough he had the woman cornered by the dumpster. He must've told her something nasty because she reacted by punching him in the face and Gibbs noticed that she was left-handed.

The man staggered back and touched his cheek, seemingly surprised. Then he charged at the woman, but she dug a bottle from the dumpster behind her, and hit him hard on the head. The bottle broke on the man's skull and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

The woman nervously looked around, and concluding there were no witnesses to the incident, she took off her sweater and fixed it on the man's head like a turban, then dug a plastic bag out of the dumpster and put it over it.

Crafty, Gibbs thought, watching her carefully drag the sailor out of the camera's view. She knew to be careful not to leave a blood trail pointing to her car and that could mean two possible things: she was a huge fan of crime shows, or she already had some experience in getting rid of bodies.

Could there be a side to the sweet little Julie Harper nobody knew about?

"Abby," he said, "can you clear up the tape enough to get facial recognition?"

"I'll try but I wouldn't count on it much," the lab rat replied, a little downcast. "The original video is analogue and very poor quality, and I'm not even sure if I can get a clean shot of the woman's face."

"I believe in your skills Abs," Gibbs encouraged her. "DiNozzo!" he called for the agent's attention.

"Yes boss?"

"Did you run that check on Carol Dunn?"

"Credit card records show that she must've left town very early in the morning on the 5th," Tony said. "She used her card at a gas station right past DC around 9 a.m., then paid for some lunch at a bar in Norfolk around noon. There's no activity until the 9th when she filled up with some more gas on her way back home."

"What about the cellphone?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a couple of calls to her brother and one to Quinn's."

Gibbs shook his head in resignation. Tony did his job well, but the information was hardly useful.

"Abby," he addressed the goth again, "anything interesting in the rest of the evidence Tony found?"

"The piece of cloth is cotton with a minor percentage of synthetic fiber and it matches to Dunn's pants. There's no doubt it's him in that video," Abby told him. "The hairs from the crime scene match the one that was under Dunn's shoe. Same color and structure. Definitely belongs to one person. The glass matches too. Well, as much as glass can match, because it's not so distinctive like hair or blood, and a certain type of glass is used to make gazillions of bottles and other thi-"

"Abs!" Gibbs stopped the lab rat, who was beginning to babble again. How many cups of Caf-Pow! did she have?

"Sorry," she apologized and continued, "I found two distinct blood traces on the shards. One belongs to Dunn, the other probably to the killer. I also lifted a couple of partials and ran them through AFIS. No hits yet."

"I sent McGee back with some samples for comparison," Gibbs said checking his watch. The younger agent should've gotten back to DC by now, unless he got lost and ended up somewhere in Canada. "Call me back as soon as you get a positive match Abs." With that he cut off the connection.

Ten minutes later McGee strode into the lab, bearing a small evidence box. "Hi guys," he greeted.

"McGee!" Abby exclaimed, trapping him in one of her famous hugs. "I missed you."

"Missed you too."

"Welcome back Probie," Tony said, patting him on the back.

"Abby," McGee pulled out the various evidence bags on the table, "Gibbs wants you to compare these. There's hair, blood and prints."

Checking out the new evidence, Abby asked, "When is he coming back?" She was glad Tony and McGee were there, keeping her company and feeding her caffeine and candy, but she still missed her silver fox.

"Tomorrow," McGee told her. "He said Kate'd drive him back."

"Oooh!"

"They made up?" Tony mumbled curiously, chewing on a candy bar he'd stolen from the vending machines down the hall.

"Oh yes, they did," McGee replied and Tony couldn't help but notice the devious smirk playing around the younger agent's lips.

"You know something!" he exclaimed. "Spill the beans McSpy!"

McGee fidgeted, as if he wasn't sure what to do, and finally he said, "When we went to ask Tom Wells for a blood sample, we came across Kate again. She looked pissed and at some point she asked Gibbs to have a word in private and they walked outside. I talked Wells into giving me the sample and when I left I saw the car was still in place but Gibbs and Kate were nowhere around. So I went looking for them and..."

"And what?"

McGee looked nervously around as if he feared Gibbs would teleport from Pennsylvania to stand behind him at the worst possible moment. Lowering his voice he said, "I found them in a small barn nearby, screwing like crazy in the hay."

Tony choked on his candy bar. He began spurting and coughing and McGee went to pat him on the back.

"Wow!" Abby grinned. "You watched the whole thing McGee?"

"Nah, just took a quick sneak peek."

"Why didn't you take a picture McVoyeur?!" Tony croaked, regaining some composure.

"How was I supposed to take a picture through a crack in the wall?!" McGee huffed.

Tony was clearly disappointed at his lack of creativity. "At least tell us what it looked like," he requested. "Can the boss still make it?"

McGee snorted. "Why wouldn't he?"

"You know, he's not exactly a youngster," Tony pointed out

"Gibbs isn't that old," McGee took the Senior Agent's defense. "And you'd be surprised how good he still does in that department." Spotting a perfect opportunity to cut the Navy Yard's resident gigolo down to size he added, "I bet you couldn't do better."

"Come on Probie!" Tony laughed. "He can't be THAT good!"

McGee quirked his brow. "No? Go ask Kate about it!"

"She'll just tell me that Gibbs's the best ever, as she always does."

"Ever wondered why that is?"

"She's just messing with me."

"You sure?"

While Tony and McGee kept on bickering, Abby began processing the evidence, trying her best not to think too much about Gibbs's naked butt. She set everything in order on the table, and decided to start by comparing the hair. Then she moved on to blood and eventually prints.

The results got her rather perplexed. "Something's hinky here," she said.

Tony and McGee stopped their banter and both gave Abby a questioning look.

"Neither of the hairs match the ones Tony and I found. Those were long, wavy, light red virgin hair. Julie's have similar structure but the color is slightly different, ginger rather than strawberry blonde. Carol's are short and straight. The color's right but she's not a natural redhead, most likely a blonde."

"Are you saying it wasn't either of them?" McGee asked, baffled.

"It definitely wasn't Julie. Her blood is a different type and her prints don't match either."

"What about Carol?"

"I don't have a sample of her blood or her fingerprints but some of the hair you brought me had the root tip so I can extrapolate DNA. That will take hours though."

The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Abby went to pick up but the call was actually for Tony.

"Officer Ward from Norfolk PD," Abby said, passing him the phone.

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS," he said into the speaker. "Uh-huh. Do you have an ID yet? Are you sure? Yes, thank you."

"What is it?" Abby asked worriedly.

"They found another body down in Lake Whitehurst."

"Julie Harper?" McGee hazarded a guess.

Tony shook his head. "Carol Dunn. The REAL Carol Dunn."

**§§§**

Having nothing better to do, Gibbs went downstairs and switched the TV on. He began surfing channels but nothing really caught his interest, so he left it on some late night show and getting up, he began nosing around the room.

Strolling along the shelves, he read the titles of the books, until he came across a fat, unmarked volume. Discovering it was a photo album, he took it with him, and sitting down on the couch, he peeked inside.

The first picture was of a couple of fair-haired kids, holding each other and smiling happily to the camera. Gibbs figured they must've been William and Carol when they were little.

More photos of the siblings followed. In most of them they were posing together and in a few they were with their now deceased parents. Several of the most recent ones showed William in his Navy uniform, and Carol in the company of Tom Wells.

Eventually, Gibbs got to the last photo in the album. It was a group snapshot of William, Carol and Julie, him standing in the middle with both girls snuggling into his sides.

Studying the picture, Gibbs couldn't help but notice how alike the two females were. Their facial features were obviously different, but they were of similar build and height and both had long, red, wavy hair.

Earlier he'd assumed the woman in the surveillance video was Julie because of the hair, but now he realized it could just as well have been Carol. She was currently sporting a short haircut, but back in the day she could've still been wearing her hair long.

Getting up from the couch, he went to put the album back in place. He'd just managed to slide in onto the shelf when suddenly a voice spoke up behind his back, "Looking for something Agent Gibbs?"

He felt his insides coil and turning around, he saw Carol walk into the room. "Just a book to read," he told her, putting on the most charming smile he could muster. "I was getting bored, sitting here all by myself."

"By yourself?" Carol quirked her brow. "Where's Agent McGee?"

"He had to go back to DC to get us a search warrant," Gibbs half-lied.

"For what?" she asked, and the agent noticed a small quiver in her voice.

"Tom Wells's house and garage," he now fully lied. "We believe he's our man."

Carol dropped her eyes to the floor, letting out a defeated sigh. "I've always suspected he was behind this," she said. "That's why I broke our engagement."

Suddenly Gibbs felt as if a light bulb lit up above his head.

Back in March, Carol was still engaged to Wells, meaning that on her left hand she was wearing an engagement ring. When she punched her brother in the face, the small, sharp object on her finger must've cut his flesh, leaving the mark Ducky had such trouble figuring out. He bet that if they ever found that ring, there would still be organic material with Dunn's DNA on it.

"I'm gonna go make some coffee," Carol offered, heading to the kitchen.

Gibbs followed behind her, and taking a seat at the table, he watched the woman prepare the brew.

He had no more doubts that she was their culprit. He only wished he knew what her motive was.

Coffee ready, Carol passed one steamy mug to Gibbs and took a seat across the table.

"What are you thinking about?" she purred.

"You," he replied in a tone that should suggest to her that he was trying to imagine how she looked like naked, rather than why she killed her brother. It was better, if she didn't suspect he knew it had been her until he could legally get her into cuffs.

Carol seemed to buy his flirt. "I like that," she said with a lustful smile and took a sip of her coffee.

Gibbs drank some as well, studying the woman with attention.

She was so different, he realized, from the Carol he saw staring back at him from the old photos, and it wasn't just a matter of hairstyle. There was something about her posture, her smile, the look in her eyes that wasn't quite the same.

Taking another gulp of his coffee, he remembered how Terry and then Wells told him that, after coming back from Norfolk, Carol wasn't the same person anymore, and a strange thought hit him. What if, he wondered, she wasn't the same person in the very literal sense of the word?

All of a sudden he felt a bit dizzy. The room spun around him and dark circles began to appear in front of his eyes.

"Everything all right Agent Gibbs?" Carol asked, sounding amused rather than worried.

"You spiked my coffee," he accused, peeking into his cup.

"I did," she admitted with a laugh and Gibbs cursed himself for being such an idiot and falling into her trap. Didn't he know better, to check his food and drink? Damn! He was even going to make that into a rule!

Desperate, he tried standing up but his limbs felt as if they were made of wax and he slipped back into his chair.

How embarrassing, he thought, gradually losing awareness of his surroundings. He'd survived terrorists, mercenaries, serial killers and a horde of other psychos just to be taken down by some small town bimbo!

Somewhere in the house the phone rang, and the violent sound was the last thing his brain registered before everything faded into darkness.

**§§§**

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><p>AN: Phew! Another chap's finally up! Tell me whatcha think! Please, please, pretty please? *make puppy dog eyes* I've been having some trouble at home and could really use a cheer up :-(

Dear _Guest_ that commented on the prev. chap, U hit it close.

And _GallaudetLurker_, you were right about McGee :-D

btw. If anyone feels confused about Gibbs's explanation, yes, he is speaking of Ari and the motorbike scene he mentions takes place at the time of the original episode 'Reveille?.

The series' only AU aspect is that Kate's with the FBI, all the cases and other things that happen in the show, presumably happen here as well just (McGee mention's him and Gibbs talking to Melissa Dorn (01x12) and in Heartkill Gibbs remembers seeing Fornell on the 'seadog' case (01x03)), so 'Bete Noir' did happen just that Kate wasn't obviously ivolved, thus Ari did not get to know her and get obsessed with her. For this reason he did not kidnap her in 'Reveille', just carried out whatever operation he was in DC for. (somewhere in the show I think Ziva mentions that he kidnapped her to give his terrorist buds sthg to do so they wouldn't engage in another op.) Also because it all went a bit differently McGee never came up with the idea of the aging program so they still don't know that Ari is indeed Ari. Say, I'm saving something for book #3 (yes, there is going to be a book #3, last and final one, but I dunno when, cause I still need to figure the story out for good, cause I'm not doing a 'Twilight' rewrite cause that had been done waaaay to many times already.)

* * *

><p><strong>Edit 2003/2015: **Don't worry dear readers, I shall not keep you hanging. The next, and last, chapter is in the writing but some personal issues have arised so it make take me some time to finish, a week or even two. But the chapter will come eventually so stay tuned and please bear with me.


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